Team SLFR: A RWBY Story
by Lorenzo the Maelstrom
Summary: A lone wolf, a tricky horse, an intellectual aristocrat, and a machine. These four individuals are a very odd bunch already, considering one of them isn't really a fan of the sun. Sable Fenrisulven, a young combat genius decides to attend Beacon Academy, not because of a dream to be a Huntsman, but as a sort of desire to gain strength, to no longer be weak like before.
1. CHAPTER 1:Little Red Hood and White Wolf

_**Hello~! I did say I would bring you guys the first chapter out as soon as I could right?**_

 _ **Now I didn't manage to give you guys the chapter by the end of last week, but thankfully I still managed to get a chapter out in time so that people don't wait too long.**_

 _ **But enough of that noise, the chapter's here and I'm proud of that! So let's not waste any more time.**_

 _ **I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**_

* * *

 _Legends. Stories scattered through time._

 _ **Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past**_

 _ **Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world.**_

 _ **An inevitable darkness — creatures of destruction — the creatures of Grimm - set their sights on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void.**_

 _ **However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds.**_

 _ **This power was appropriately named "Dust".**_

 _ **Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life.**_

 _ **But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die.**_

 _ **And when they are gone... darkness will return.**_

 _ **So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called "free world", but take heed... there will be no victory in strength.**_

 _But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten._

 _Things that require a smaller, more honest soul._

 _Things that can take root — even in the deep depths of shadow, and nurtured by the light._

* * *

 _ **CHAPTER 1: Little Red Hood and The White Wolf**_

* * *

 **(VALE, 8:16 P.M.)**

The city was quiet. The shattered moon gleamed in the night sky, as we close in on a store named: "From Dust Till Dawn". A really simple store, selling Dust for anybody who was willing to pay for it. However, as a group of goons and their leader walked the street, the crowd parted to make way for this group out of fear as they entered the store.

The cashier noticed the group enter the door and was confused why there were so many of them for one store, and he didn't realize what was happening but his attention was directed to the man in front of him.

The one that stood in front of him was the leader of this group, wearing a white business suit, holding a cane, and wearing a black bowler hat which was worn with care. He wore a small grey scarf around his neck and black gloves with buckled sleeves. He also had orange hair with long bangs that covered his right eye, and black eyeliner traced on his left eye. The leader was smoking his cigar, before taking his cigar out to speak.

"Do you realize how hard is it to find a Dust shop opened this late?" The leader asked rhetorically, while one of his men pulled their gun out to the old cashier.

"Please! D-Don't hurt me! Please, just take the Lien and leave!" The cashier spoke in a mixture of panic and fear, an appropriate reaction to getting robbed at gunpoint.

The leader shushed the old man in a deceivingly comforting voice. "Shhh, shhh, calm down. We're not here for your money." The leader signaled his men. "Grab the Dust"

The goons quickly followed orders, one of them putting his case on the counter and demanding for Dust, while the rest of the goons searched the store for any witnesses or potential hostages. One of the goons scoured a corner of the store where Dust Bullets, and any ammunition of the like, were on display. He noticed a young man, roughly looking 17, who was examining a section displaying heavy grade .50 cal Dust Bullets.

The teen was wearing a pale-white, long-sleeved leather jacket with maroon-red stripes along the sleeves, over a grey t-shirt. He also had sun-goggles around his neck, while also wearing some black fingerless gloves with metal buckling. One glance at this teen and the goon noticed his canine-like ears atop his head, the teen was a dog Faunus. The teen Faunus was also pretty tall, 6'5 the goon could guess. The teen also had a long slim military suitcase that he held on his right hand, and a holster by his hip on that same side, but the goon didn't pay attention nor noticed those two important details.

Rather his attention was on something more subtle, and much more abnormal.

The most distinguishing feature about this kid, was his unusually pale complexion, looking like something out of a vampire movie. This was the palest Faunus the goon has ever seen, and his spiky, unkempt hair was a much more pale white in comparison. The goon stared at this kid in confusion before realizing, he had a job to do and this kid could be a witness...or even better, a hostage.

"Alright kid," The goon took and pointed his sword to the pale teen. "Put your hands where I can see 'em!"

The teen didn't respond, no it was more like he ignored the man. The goon knows this kid heard him, and what he said should have made the kid respond in fear considering he doesn't have any headphones on or anything.

Frustrated about being ignored, Goon 1 walked with impatience to the teen. "Hey, I said hands in the air!" Goon 1 then turned the teen around by the shoulder, revealing the teen's crimson red eyes, who glared at the goon who rudely interrupted his window shopping. "You got a death wish or something!?" said the goon, expecting this kid to get what's going on.

The pale Faunus just looked at the goon unamused, he wasn't intimidated by some mob-looking goon. The teen finally spoke, noticing the sword that the goon had.

"...what is it?" He said playing dumb.

"I need you to put your hands in the air, now!" Goon 1 was really starting to lose his patience, but the dog Faunus didn't look frightened. If anything, he looked more annoyed than anything else.

"Why exactly would I raise my hands in the air for _you_?" The teen sarcastically said, still playing dumb.

"Because this is a robbery, now PUT EM UP!"

…

So this is happening, a goon-looking man with a fedora and a sword, threatening a teen just going for his supply runs. This would be threatening to another kid, but the teen could only stare at this man like a wannabe who was trying to act tough and failing at it miserably.

The teen only sighed in response. "Ya know, I was willing to play along with this but...fuck it. Boot to the face."

The goon stood confused for a good moment "...boot to the face?"

* * *

Outside the store, the windows were cleaned and unbroken.

 ***CRASH***

Well not anymore they were, the window on the left-side broke and two people were crashing out of the store, the goon who was being kicked in the face by the teen Faunus who said he would give him the boot.

He said "Boot to the face", what else was he going to do except giving this goon a boot to the face?

All the commotion that noise cause prompted some of the other goons inside to check it out and see what the hell just happened.

What they saw outside the store was the pale Faunus opening up the slim suitcase, and taking out a weapon that could be best described as something akin to a giant single-edged knife, with 6 large exhaust pipes, 3 on each side, running along half the length of the back of this blade. The sword handle was also colored a nice maroon red.

The pale Faunus looked back at the goons and gave them a toothy smirk, giving two big swings of his blade and stabbed it to the ground.

"Well, you guys want a fight, then come on!" He challenged them as he twisted the grip and the exhaust pipes revved with the sound of flammable fuel sprayed along across the blade. "Come on, let's make this a night that I won't—" The teen was about to finish his sentence, but he was distracted by what was on the other side of the store, which honestly was a rare sight.

A 15-year old girl with black hair and red streaks, who wears a black long-sleeved dress with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front and around her skirt has a red trim. She also wears a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces and trims around the top and red soles. And to top it all off she wore a red hooded cloak, around her shoulders.

Now she was wielding her own weapon, a giant mecha scythe stabbed into the ground in a similar fashion as he did with his own weapon. Now the thing is, the giant scythe wasn't anything out of the ordinary with how he built his weapon, but rather the fact that the one who was wielding this complicated weapon was just a 15-year old girl who didn't even look like she finished combat school.

Not that it was out of the ordinary, he just thought it was a funny coincidence that both of them happen to be in the same store… and happened to go out the window at the same time once he saw the broken window where the red hooded girl was.

"Hey, uh…little red hood!" The teen called out, getting the red-hooded girl's attention. "I don't know what someone as young as you is doing here," He pointed towards all the goons that were heading towards them. "But we got some unwanted company, so try not to slow me down!"

"Slow you down? I think you should try to keep up." The girl retorted, feeling (only a little bit) insulted.

"...yeah whatever." The pale teen mumbled under his breath, focusing his attention to the crowd of goons.

The goons attacked the girl first, thinking it would be easy pickings. The girl lifted herself onto the scythe before spinning around and kicking the first thug in the face. She pulled her weapon out and fires it off to swing her scythe to launch a goon into the air, crashing into another goon. She fires again and using the momentum to smash another goon approaching into the ground, while using the ricochet to evade a goon's gunshots, getting close to knocking him into the air and follows to slam the goon into the ground.

After beating the goons she looked in the direction where the other pale teen was and was actually legitimately surprised.

The pale Faunus was rushed by the goons with machete's, one of them swings his machete only for it to be countered by the Faunus's own sword, who swung his weapon with force it pushed the goon a good distance into a building wall leaving small cracks. The rest of the goons looked rather hesitant to attack, and there was nothing that could have them make such a stupid decision.

"Wow, your form is terrible! What's wrong, couldn't your mother's teach you any better?"

...I spoke too soon.

Needless to say, this angered the goons who all rushed at him with their swords, making the stupidest decision they ever made.

The pale Faunus twisted the grip on his sword and revved it up 4 times, and two of the exhaust pipes sprayed the propellant and ignited it at the same time. As the goons attacked the pale teen, he deflected and countered each attack with exhilarating speed thanks to the propellant amplifying each sword swing and knocking some of these weapons away along with the goons. He noticed one of the other goons take out a gun and fire at him and the teen decided to zig-zag towards the goon blocking the occasional bullet with his sword. Eventually, he was close enough to finish off the goon and dropkick him right in the face, giving the special boot treatment as the goon was sent flying next to the bowler hat man's feet.

"You were worth every cent. Truly, you were." The crime boss muttered in disappointment and annoyance, before noticing the two teens who turned towards him and readied their weapons.

"Well, we can all agree this has been an eventful evening, Little Red and Big White Wolf,—"

"...excuse me?"

"And as much as I'd love to stick around," the man dropped his cigar, crushed it with his cane...

"This is where we part ways…" and raised it to shoot at the ground near the two teens an explosive blast.

The teens reacted quickly, the girl in red leaped over the blast by firing off at the ground, and the teen in white flipped backward to avoid damage and landing with one knee forward. When the dust cleared the man was nowhere to be found, before looking behind them and seeing him climb up a latter of a building.

The girl in red turned and asked the old man who came out of the store, "Mind if we go after him?" the old man could only nod, but the other teen Faunus gave her a dry look when he heard that question. This caught the girl's attention, and she was a little confused. "H-hey, why are you giving me that look?"

"Why the fuck do you need to ask him for permission?" The teen said with a dry look. Honestly, the man was getting away and she asks for permission to catch him?

"Swear!"

"Swear? What are you, 10? Now quit standing there and let's catch this mafia-wannabe!" The teen wasted no time and made his way up the building by heading into an alleyway next to the building, jumping from wall to wall up to the building. He reached the roof of the building, and he might as well feel a little bit cocky, of course, he made it to the top first!

That moment of pride was ruined when he looked to his right and saw that the girl was already there…and she didn't even do that much aside from just using the recoil from her gun-scythe to get to the top.

 _Okay, now she has good technique admittedly...but I had to jump from wall to wall to get here! All she did was just use her gun-scythe like an air cannon!_

The girl gave a smug smirk at the teen who arrived last. "Who's slowing down _who_ now?"

"Oh, put a sock in it, Little Red!" He retorted while the girl stuck her tongue out him.

"Persistent…" said the mafia-wannabe when he saw those two chasing him.

Luckily for the mafia man, his ride had arrived and the two teens were slightly surprised when they saw the aerial VTOL hovering near the building. The mafia man jumped on board the VTOL and turned to face the two teens, taking out a red Dust crystal. His face turned into a condescending smirk.

"End of the line, Kids!" He threw this Dust crystal at the ground near the two teens and shot another explosive bullet from his cane aimed at this crystal which caused a big explosion.

The man laughed in amusement, but his face turned sour when the dust cleared and the teens, were alive and protected by exactly what he didn't want to run into today.

A Huntress.

This woman used a riding crop like a wand, creating something like a magic shield to block the blast. She has very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes are bright green and she wears thin ovular glasses. She wears a white long-sleeved, pleated top that has a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist. Her lower body is covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black-brown stockings and tops it with another cape that is purple inside and black on the outside.

The two teens stood in shock, and they both knew this was a Huntress, but right now each of them had very different thoughts. The white Faunus was flabbergasted how this woman with a goddamn riding crop managed to stop an explosive bullet, while the girl in red had stars in her eyes and was practically squealing with excitement that a Huntress saved them in time.

They didn't stay that way for long when they noticed another woman in the VTOL who's eyes burned a fiery amber and aimed a burst of energy at the Huntress. The Huntress blocks it, but the flame splatters behind her and glows hot with the enemy's raised hand. The Huntress back-flips out of the explosion, which destroys part of the roof, and magically gathers the shards to create a large arrow, which she throws at the craft.

The fiery woman shatters the arrow with several blasts, but it reforms just in time to hit the side of the jet due to Roman's quick aerial lean. The wreckage separates and reshapes into more arrows that encircle the jet, but the woman summons several glowing rings around herself that expand and destroy the shards.

The girl in red took a chance and reverted her scythe to its rifle form to fire at the woman who blocks each shot and creates several blazing circles around her three opponents. The Huntress telekinetically pushes the girl away and rolls herself out of the explosion radius; looking up to see the hatch closed and the craft fly away.

The teen Faunus laughed triumphantly when he and the two other ladies survived. Honestly, when the bad guys got away he took it as a victory, just be glad that nobody ended up injured, or Oum forbid dead tonight.

"Yeah, that's right! Get outta here, jackasses!" He yelled out in victory before turning to the Huntress in question who glared at him.

"Well, you showed up late to the fight huh? Looks like we did your job _for_ you Witch of the Wild West. Honestly, you couldn't have arrived soon—"

"You're a Huntress!" The girl interjected and pushed the teen back, too excited to even care. This was a Huntress, a hero who saves people from the creatures of Grimm, and she was lucky to be saved by one! She couldn't let this chance pass by to ask her something she always wanted to ask from a Huntsman!

"Can I have your autograph!?"

* * *

 _ **(CLANG!)**_

Little Red never got that autograph. Instead, she was now sitting in front of a table, in a dark interrogation room with one light shining above, and the pale teen from before was sitting right next to her. They were both being interrogated, and the girl looked down with a bit of shame while the teen next to her looked very irritated beyond belief.

"I hope that you two realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly. You put yourselves and others in great danger." said the Huntress

"Well, they started it!" The girl tried to defend herself with a polite tone.

" _O-okay, pull yourself together! She doesn't seem to be… too furious, so maybe if we both just calmly talk this out with the angry Huntress, nothing could go wro—"_

"THIS. IS BULLSHIT!"

…

Yeah. The teen isn't particularly happy, and the curse he shouted only made the situation tenser than it already was.

" _...that plan just went out the window!"_ The girl thought, and immediately lost hope of a peaceful resolution.

"You'd best watch your tone, young man!" The Huntress quickly scolded the young Faunus.

"We prevented a robbery, we managed to chase away that mafia wannabe! We didn't exactly catch him but what's important is that nobody got hurt!"

"Pleeaaassse, don't pick fights with the Huntress in front of us!" She clapped her hands together. "We're already in so much trouble, I don't wanna think about what my sister's going to do!" Ruby pleaded to try to defuse the situation.

"Fine, but am I right?"

"I don't think that's what you should be focusing on right now!"

"Okay, but am. I. Right?" The girl was aback at the teen's stubbornness, but she couldn't help but agree and just hesitantly nodded. As if the moment of silence that followed wasn't already awkward enough...

The Huntress calmed down and sighed in response. "Yes, you may have minimized the worst possible outcome, and I am sure many are grateful. However, it doesn't change the fact that you two put everyone at risk." The Huntress pointed out, and the teen Faunus growled in frustration and looked away. While it was true they both saved people, there was so much that could have gone wrong, and if they weren't then a bystander could have been injured in the crossfire. The teen didn't disagree with the woman but he still felt it was right to help regardless.

"If it were up to me, you'd both be sent home... With a pat on the back…" The girl regained her smile. ...And a slap on the wrist." She demonstrated with her riding crop on the table causing the girl to jump a little bit in surprise. "But... there is someone here who would like to meet both of you."

" _Wait… both of us?"_ The Faunus teen mused inside his head, and while he didn't know who wanted to speak to him and Little Red Hood… the man who entered the room with a plate of Chocolate-chip cookies in one hand and a coffee mug in the other knew these two very well.

This spectacle-wearing man looked like a middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes. His outfit mainly consisted of an unzipped black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest, and green shirt. He also wears black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants.

"Ruby Rose…" said the man clothed in green to the now named Ruby leaning a little bit too close to check something he wanted to confirm.

"You… have silver eyes."

" _What's so special about them?"_ The pale teen couldn't help but wonder out of curiosity, when

The bespectacled man then turned to face the teen Faunus, noticing his albinistic features and remembered something important.

"Ah, Sable Fenrisulven." The man said to the now named Sable and seemed to have some familiarity with the pale Faunus.

"Professor Ozpin, and here I thought we were going to jail because of _saving lives._ " He threw a quick glare at the blond Huntress who gave back her own glare.

"Well I can assure that neither of you is being arrested," Ozpin then gestured to the pad the Huntress was holding up showing the recordings of their conflict with the goon and the mafia man. "but I'm rather interested as to where you two learned to fight?"

"Um… Signal Academy." Ruby said nervously.

Ozpin turned to Sable for an answer, as well as Ruby who was most curious how he managed to handle what she saw as a rocket sword.

"...Homeschooled" Sable simply said with his arms crossed, not wanting to speak more about the details just yet. This surprised Ruby and intrigued Ozpin.

"With that much technique and strength displayed, it almost seems unbelievable. _Almost."_ Ozpin pointed out.

Sable just stayed silent with his arms crossed, he didn't exactly feel like disclosing the personal details of this "homeschooling". Ozpin understood and turned to Ruby instead.

"Miss Rose, the academy taught you how to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

"Well, one teacher in particular."

"I see." Ozpin set down the plate of Chocolate-chip cookies in front of the two teens. Ruby reached out her hand and took one cookie and ate it, or more accurately devoured it, with one bite. She soon started to devour all the cookies until there's none left. Sable didn't take one cookie though, he wasn't too much of a fan of chocolate.

"It's just that I've only seen this kind of skill in one person, a dust old crow"

Ruby tried to speak, but with her mouthful, it wasn't understood. Realizing this, she finished chewing and swallowed the cookies to talk properly "S-Sorry. That's my uncle Qrow. I was total garbage before he taught me and now I'm like… Whaaaaaaa, wacha…!" Ruby said while doing karate chop gestures.

"...is he like a martial arts master or something?" Sable asked, thinking the answer was a bit ridiculous.

"No, he is a Huntsman!" Ruby corrected. "The best Huntsman and Uncle I could ever ask for! He is so experienced when it comes to Scythe weaponry!"

"So… he's like the grim reaper then? I can imagine he had some trouble teaching you all those tricks and flips, impressive for someone so short."

Ruby giggled for a bit. "You think so...hey! First off, Uncle Qrow and I get along like peanut butter and chocolate!"

" _What's with that comparison?"_ Sable thought.

"And second of all, I'm not that short! I. drink. _milk._ "

"Really? I honestly thought you drank one too many sodas and stunted your own growth!" Sable snickered at that last part and Ruby pouted as she was about to say something, but Ozpin cleared his throat and the teens stopped arguing for a bit to pay attention.

Ozpin brought up an important question, turning to Ruby "Argument aside, what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

" _I was wondering that myself…"_ Sable did find it curious, a petite girl wielding a giant scythe is a rare sight. Scythes are by far in huntsman history the most effective weapon against the creatures of Grimm, able to cleave their way through Grimm like a hot knife to butter. However, they are also the most complicated weapon to master, due to their large size and the fact that handling one can be a nightmare if you don't train yourself for it.

Ruby quickly gave her answer. "Yeah! I only have two more years of training left at Signal! And then I'm going to apply to Beacon!"

" _Beacon academy? Seems like a good reason to be excited"_

"You see, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, Hey, I might as well make a career out of it!" Ruby was giggling with rising excitement.

" _Okay, she's getting very excited…"_

"I mean the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and really, gosh, you know!" Ruby flipped out a bit during that last part and had a wide smile like she was a Huntsman fanatic, while the two Huntsman were studying this peculiar girl and Sable was a little bit creeped out by her giddiness.

" _...oh dear Oum, she's a fangirl!"_ Sable was now concerned, worried about the unfortunate freshmen who would have to deal with her.

" _Well, that might not be the worst thing to happen, at least she's nice… if a little bit childish."_ Sable thought to himself, agreeing that she may be childish but her dreams and goals aren't something he could laugh at. After all, he had his own thoughts about going to Beacon Academy, and while he is aiming to become a Huntsmen, there's something more important that he was looking to achieve.

"Well, I'm sure he knows me, but do _you_ know who I am?" Ozpin asked Ruby and took a seat opposite to both teens, Sable still remaining silent.

Ruby nodded and responded. "You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon."

Ozpin gave the two teens a smile in response. "Hello."

"Nice to meet you." Ruby greets with a smile.

Sable gave a small smirk in response, then asked a question that's been on his mind. "So...does this mean we can go now?"

"You can go soon, I just have one more question for the both of you... do you want to come to my school?"

Ruby and Sable both had the same response.

"More than anything."

Ozpin exchanged a glance at the blond Huntress, who huffed her disapproval of the decision, and turned back to both aspiring Huntsman.

"Well okay."

Ruby was happy beyond belief and wide-eyed about the opportunity that was given to her. She was given a chance to be at Beacon! Two years earlier then she thought she would!

Sable chuckled a little bit, proud about the fact how the Headmaster of Beacon seemed please near the end. However, he was a bit confused as to why Ozpin asked the question to him _and_ Ruby. She still has two years left at Signal Academy, it's not like she was actually going to Beacon so early right?

 _...Right?_

* * *

 **(AIRSHIP TO BEACON, 11:30 A.M.)**

Sable finally made it. He was on the Airship to Beacon Academy for the initiation exam, and he was damn well proud of it. Beacon is one of the best Huntsman Academies in Remnant and was largely responsible for some of the world's most experience Huntsman. Of course, you had to take combat school in order to apply for Beacon, though that is by far just one of two options. Some manage to get recommendations into the Academies and that's usually enough to give them a chance at the entrance exam, and Sable earned this with the years of training he spent on this very day.

Oh yeah, it's midday and Sable doesn't have much of a problem with the schedule of the exam and orientation. He was mostly worried about the sun. Being Albino can be hard sometimes, but usually, the most annoying inconvenience Sable had was just mild sunburn and slight headaches if it gets in his eyes, even on normal days. Still, sunscreen has never failed him so he always applies it to his face when he gets the chance. He was wearing everything from that night a few days, except he had zipped up his jacket entirely, not leaving any skin showing below the neck and was wearing his sun goggles over his eyes.

Sable leaned on the railings of the airship and scouted the crowd of students also going to Beacon. He noticed many of them with their weapons, some of them hoisted away, and some of them wrapped around their back. He seemed he was actually going to get some competition, but he would welcome it. He trained far more than any of these kids did in their life, and he wasn't going to be blindsided by any of them.

No surprises at all and nothing out of the ordinary or crazy would happen.

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

"Please stop."

"But I'm so proud of you!"

"Really Sis, it was nothing."

...again, I spoke too soon.

" _Wait...what?"_ He turned to where the voices came from, and what he saw was certainly impressive that it left him in shock. There was a blond, in the distance hugging a very familiar red-hooded girl. It took a second for him to put it together but when he figured it out...

Sable, to put it very crudely, flipped his shit.

"You ACTUALLY made it in!?" Sable yelled out as he was beyond surprised and in disbelief, that Ruby couldn't help but yelp. Sable made his way towards them, and that caught the attention of the two sisters.

"O-oh, it's just you..." Ruby sighed in relief though she didn't know why exactly. Sable wasn't exactly the most polite Faunus she met, and he was also a potty mouth. Still, he wasn't _too rude_ and he's one person she at least knows… okay, it's more like they're acquainted but at least they weren't strangers anymore. Still, the way he acted and handled himself against the goons left an impression...although not exactly the _best_ impression.

"No, I'm just another stranger here trying to make casual conversation," Sable sarcastically said while crossing his arms. "Of course, it's me!"

"So wait, you know my sister here?" The blond asked, and Sable turned to her. She wears a tan jacket that bares her midriff, with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that feature two gold buttons. Underneath this, she wears a low cut yellow crop top, she also wears a brown belt covered by a pleated brown piece of material reaching from hip to hip around the back of her waist.

Underneath this is a long, white, asymmetrical piece of material reaching to her knee on the right side, as well as a pair of black mini-shorts. She wears a pair of brown, knee-high boots and orange over-the-knee socks, with the right sock pushed down just below the knee. A gray bandanna is tied around her left knee. An orange infinity scarf and black fingerless gloves complete her outfit.

"Know her? I've practically seen her flip and jump with that scythe of hers!" Sable pointed at Ruby. "Which admittedly is pretty impressive for a shortie."

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Hey!" The blonde was going to defend her sister until she realized and chuckled. "... your right she is pretty short!"

"Yang!"

Sable sighed in slight annoyance. Right now, he was surprised about two things.

He didn't expect the 15-year-old to actually be able to take the entrance exam before she even completed combat school!

He didn't expect for her to have a sister who he almost mistook for Goldilocks, her hair and attire practically exudes the color yellow!

Sable was expecting there would be people, and that was already hard enough for him, but a 15-year old fangirl is going to the same school as him? He just couldn't believe it. Still, he had to at least make a proper conversation.

"Well, since it seems apparent that we are stuck with each other, might as well introduce ourselves properly." Sable then pointed his thumb towards himself. "I'm Sable Fenrisulven, and don't you forget it."

"U-um, yeah! Sure!" Ruby said a little overwhelmed by how surprisingly intimidating he was but tried to introduce herself the best she could. "My name is Ruby," then she nudged her head at her blond sister. "And she is my sister, Yang!"

"Sup!" Yang waved her hand with a smirk on her face. Certainly, he may be rough around the edges, but it's nothing she hasn't seen before. Besides, he is trying to make conversation. Better to make friends than enemies after all, especially since her sister needs some new ones very bad.

"So...you made it in. Congrats." Sable tried saying that to Ruby without being too snarky, just to enough to give her at least some credit.

"See, he gets it!" Yang turned to Ruby. "Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees."

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees', okay? I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees." Ruby protested.

"Again, with the weird sayings. Besides, you were so excited when you talked about Huntsmen and going to Beacon. You chickening out now?" Sable couldn't help but tilt his head as he said that, and Yang gave a small frown at that last comment.

"Of course not! I'm grateful for going to Beacon!" Ruby sighed and looked down sadly. "I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."

" _...so that's what this is about."_ Sable couldn't help but think, she did get in two years early. That's bound to draw some attention, good or otherwise…and that's probably the hardest part.

Yang wanted to cheer up her sister and went to give her a one-armed hug. "But you _are_ special." She emphasized that part, prompting Ruby to look up and feel a little bit better about herself.

Sable chuckled and smirked at the two. "Goldilocks here's got a point," Ruby looked up at Sable in confusion. "You handled that scythe with good technique, and that Semblance of yours is pretty quick. You're probably the youngest among us, but if you ask me… you wouldn't be out of place here." Sable said that and gave a small smile at the last part, and Ruby couldn't help but feel even better when he said that.

"Really?" Ruby asked with a bright smile, maybe Sable wasn't as rude as she thought he was.

"Well, still doesn't change you're the shortest!"

...okay maybe he _still_ is a bit rude.

"How many times do you need to bring that up!?" Ruby said, pouting like a child again. Yang couldn't help but actually chuckle a bit at the small argument they had, but their attention was drawn to a hologram of the same blond Huntress from the other night.

" _Hello, and welcome to Beacon!"_

"Who's that?" Yang wondered.

" _My name is Glynda Goodwitch."_

"Oh."

" _I KNEW she was a witch!"_ Sable thought, honestly the first time she saw Glynda, he wondered if they were saved by the Witch of the Wild West before listening to the rest the hologram went to say.

" _You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."_ The hologram disappeared with its message delivered, and leaving everybody informed.

Sounds of awe from the passengers caught the trio's attention, and Ruby and Sable followed suit and could see the sight's of Patch and Vale from the glass below.

"Oh, wow! Look, you can see Signal from up here!" Ruby said in surprise. "I guess home isn't too far after all!"

"Home, huh?" Sable thought out loud, and Yang noticed something far in Patch's forest.

"Hey… I can see a wooden house in the distance." Yang pointed towards it.

Sable took a look at where Yang was pointing and his faced unexpectedly softened up for a change. "Yeah… that's my home."

"Wait, you lived on Patch Island too?" Ruby couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, well me and an old man who raised me."

" _So just him and his Grandpa?"_ Ruby thought to himself, she could've asked but considering how the last time Professor Ozpin asked him about his combat she thought it would be best not to pry.

Sable would be lying if said he wasn't feeling a bit nostalgic. He's lived in that house for the past 12 years, and his mentor had prepared him to be a Huntsman. Sable wouldn't admit it, but he was actually missing the old man.

"Wonder how the old man's doing." Sable had a solemn face, the thought of leaving home after 12 years… is a little bit overwhelming if he were, to be honest.

"Probably being proud of you," Yang spoke up. "If you lived with him than he knows what you're doing right now, and sitting in his old rocking chair." Yang comforted the teen Faunus, patting him on the shoulder and Sable just smirked for a bit. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. "Beacon's our home, now."

Well… another blond in the background kinda ruined the moment when he was groaning due to motion sickness. The trio right now just kinda had plain faces, they kinda expected something like this to happen.

"Well... I guess the view isn't for everyone." Yang just shrugged.

"It was a nice moment while it lasted." Ruby agreed.

"Should've brought a paper bag." Sable also agreed, the paper bag would have been useful right now.

"I wonder who we're gonna meet! I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy." Ruby replied, but unfortunately, Vomit boy couldn't hold it in, and some vomit made it out and spilled into the floor some on Yang's shoes and on Sable's...jacket.

...ooooh noooo.

" Oh, Yang, gross! You have puke on your shoe!" Ruby yelled in disgust, and the smell was even worse.

"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!"

"Get-Get away! Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me!"

While the girls were having their small argument, the Blond boy noticed some of the puke that fell on Sable's jacket and was frantically waving his hands. "O-oh crap! Sorry 'bout that, I didn't mean to do that! Honest!"

Sable didn't say a thing and instead glared at this Blondie with a look that was so deceivingly calm, that honestly just made Vomit Boy even more nervous.

"...there's puke on my jacket," Sable said with a low tone, holding in his anger while still glaring at Vomit Boy. "You got... _puke_ on my jacket."

"I-I am SO sorr—"

"Run."

"...what?"

"You better start running, Puke Boy…"

"U-uuuhhh…" The Blonde didn't like where this was going…

"BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO KICK YOUR _**FUCKING ASS!"**_

Vomit Boy cried out in fear trying to run away from the _very_ angry white Faunus because nobody pukes on Sable's Jacket and gets away with it.

"I'M SOOORRRRYYY!"

"YOU GET BACK HERE, YOU REGURGITATING SHIT-BAG!"

"Swear!"

"SHUT UP, RUBY!"

And that's when the Big White Wolf chased down our poor, poor knight…No one knows what happened…except you will know the next time.

Unknown to everyone though, there was another passenger, wearing a dark flowing cloak and a leather peaked hat with a gold badge on top of it, giving him a more malicious look. If you were to take a good look at him, his purple eyes had a mischievous look to them with an equally wide and mischievous grin.

" _Shi-shi-shi-shi…" He chuckled through his teeth. "This is going to be a very interesting year! I can feel it!"_

* * *

 _ **Aaaaand I DID IT!**_

 _ **(Cue Fanfare)**_

 **Man! I feel so proud of myself! I hope you people enjoyed how I wrote Sable and his interactions! Also, you guy's may be wondering who was that last character at the end? Well, feel free to ask and discuss! You will need to see the next chapter to figure out the whole story though!**

 **I would just like to give a 1000 thanks to my fellow co-writer and best friend** _**Messiah of authors (or Travis Moon) for always being there every step in the way and for introducing me to the world of Fanfiction! I can't thank you enough for your support man! I'm proud to have you in my life.**_

 _ **So hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter. I am the Maelstrom, and I will see you on the horizon!**_


	2. CH2:Beacon Academy and Tricky Stallion

_**Hello people! It is the Maelstrom, and I'm back with a new chapter of Team SLFR. After thorough editing and too much college work, I finally managed to finish the chapter. Jeez, how long has it been since I posted an update?**_

…

 _ **Oh right, 3 months ago. Yeah, I have to apologize for the wait, but I wanted to make sure that I knew what direction the chapter would go, not to mention that the editing process is important for this.**_

 _ **Well, I'll try not to make that too common in my account, but I will say that I might not be as quick to post stories.**_

 _ **Anyway, this chapter will introduce another OC I made for this story. I feel confident I did great, and I hope that you will enjoy his appearance!**_

 _ **Enough of that though, let's get into the adventure!**_

* * *

 _ **CHAPTER 2: Beacon and The Tricky Stallion**_

* * *

 **(BEACON ACADEMY AIR-HANGAR, 12:00 P.M.)**

The airship had arrived and landed at Beacon Academy, and the students wasted no time quickly leaving the airship in a mixture of impatience and excitement.

Beacon Academy was just a few minutes away, and soon everybody would step into the halls of Beacon Academy.

All the students walked out of the airship with many mixed feelings, some felt excited, some felt proud, many felt like spilling their guts out…

...and only two were in a game of Cat-and-Mouse.

"HEY, YOU BLOND FUCK! Get your ass back here!"

"No way! You're just going to beat me up!"

"I'm not going to beat you up! I'm just going to kick your ass to the moon and back for what you did!"

"THAT'S NOT MUCH BETTER AT ALL!"

Yeah, like that.

"Whoa!"

"W-what was that for!?"

"Watch where you're going!"

The white wolf Faunus was just sprinting through the crowd of people in a quick fury, bumping and nearly crashing into many students until they just made way for him in shock. Sable didn't really care about it at the moment, he was dead set on getting payback.

Afterall, Sable was beyond just angry; he was royally _furious_.

A while ago, he had invited himself into the conversation with Ruby and Yang her sister. Everything seemed to be rather civil until someone wasn't able to hold their lunch in the airship. Said someone accidentally, and sadly for Sable, spilled a good amount on his white leather jacket.

That cost like 200,000 Lien, but that wasn't the point anyway.

Right now, Sable was chasing the blonde who ran far away out of fear. The only reason this entire chase is happening is because of a mistake the blonde didn't mean to do and didn't even have control of. The blonde was more worried though about trying to escape Sable before he lost his footing and nearly tumbled to the ground.

The blonde looked back to check if his pursuer was close, but he soon cursed doing so when he got caught by the collar and lifted off the ground. Face-to-face with the furious and towering Faunus, he was sweating bullets in apprehension.

"Man, I told you I'm sorry! What's your problem?!" The Blonde Knight babbled, his hands covering his face.

"What the fuck do you _think_ is my problem?! " Sable yelled in the Blond's face, with a scowl so furious, that he appeared to be an aggravated canine to any observer. "If you were really that sick, then why the hell didn't you go to the bathroom before!?"

"Because if I moved anymore it would have just gotten worse, not to mention the bathroom was too far, to begin with! Now could you please let me go!?" The knight pleaded pathetically.

"Not before I send you to the nurse's office in bruises, you bastard!" Sable reared for a punch aimed square at the puke boy's face before he felt two arms putting him into a Full Nelson holding him back.

"Whoa, there Big boy! I think he gets the idea!" That voice was Yang who was trying to hold him back. She didn't think she would have _this_ much trouble holding him back as Sable squirmed and struggled to break free. He was practically flailing to get out of her failing grip, and she was shocked by the amount of strength he had. ' _Damn! How is he this strong!?'_

"Let. Me. GO!" Sable finally broke free of Yang's grip, nearly stumbling to the ground and looking up to see that Puke Boy had escaped.

"Jeez, Fido!" Yang chided in a tone that wasn't clear whether it was teasing or actual help, but she apparently snuck a nickname for him. "What were you thinking running off and trying to beat someone black-and-blue?"

Sable grit his teeth frustration and turned towards Yang with a narrow glare "What? You think it's my fault!? Who the hell just hurls their food on someone. That's just asking for an ass-kicking!" Sable points to his jacket collar where the puke landed. "And now my jacket looks and smells like something from the garbage bin thanks to that bastard!

"Oh don't be so dramatic! I'm sure it's not that hard to just wash that later." Yang pointed out before she figured out something unpleasant. "Wait a minute, don't tell me that's your only change of clothes?" Yang cringed, taking a step back from Sable.

"W-what!? Hell no!" Sable was offended at Yang's remark and lifted his right hand. "What kind of question is that! What do you think was in this...suitcase?" Sable looked to his right hand to realize that he didn't have his suitcase… and that means he must have left it somewhere when he got 'distracted'. Sable panicked, but he knew the only place he left his suitcase was already flying away in the distance. He paled at the sight and in defeat, he yelled out with frustration.

"Oooooh," Even Yang cringed a bit and was feeling some pity for Sable missing his suitcase. "Guess you'll have to deal with _that_ smell for the rest of the day, Fido." She knew it wasn't the right moment to joke like that, yet she couldn't help but try to lighten up the mood. Even if that didn't make the situation any better for Sable, it was worth a shot.

' _This blows…'_ Sable pinched the bridge of his nose at the fact that he let his anger about the puke on his jacket get to him that he forgot his _freaking_ luggage.

"Sable! Yang!" A voice called out, both Yang and Sable recognized it was Ruby from the port. She was carrying a big slim military suitcase that may have been left on the Airship. Sable noticed this and probably figured it was someone else's suitcase and she was being too nice until he noticed an engraving of the sun and moon, a half-and-half deal on it. Not many students had such an ornamental engraving in its center, and Sable felt his frustration subsiding for a bit.

" _...that's my suitcase,"_ Sable said as he put his hand on his face, sighing in relief. He was glad that Ruby was kind enough to help with that big suitcase, and he also was grinning that it was _Ruby_ lugging around that big suitcase that may be almost as big as her, but only short about half afoot.

She was starting to look more like the fairy tale right now.

Ruby managed to arrive and hunched over in exhaustion before giving them both an annoyed gaze. "So could one of you two hotheads tell me why _you_ left me behind, and why _you_ forgot your baggage?" Ruby questioned holding the suitcase in front of Sable, who took it with no hesitation and didn't bother to answer that question, though the corners of his mouth curved into a grin.

"Well, my lovely sister. I'm sorry if you got left behind but I had to hold _him_ back from dealing a nasty bite!" Yang said shooting a glare at Sable. "By the way, threatening to put someone in the hospital isn't going to help you make friends. I wouldn't be surprised if he ran away next time he saw you!"

"Okay, you know damn well what he just did. Don't try to act like you don't!" Sable shot a look back.

"Oh come now, it was just a little bit of puke. You said it yourself you have your change of clothes!"

"Well, I can't just take this jacket off in the middle of the day! It's not exactly healthy for me if my complexion didn't give it away!"

"Okay you're right about that, but still! You need to control that temper. you don't want to get kicked out of here on your first day right?" Yang pointed out, and Sable flinched. "We're going to Beacon Academy, and that means we're going to meet other people. Smart people, excited people, annoying people. We may not know each other all that well, me and Ruby included, but it never hurts to at least make a good impression right?"

Sable opened his mouth to retort, but he merely took a deep breath in shame and shook his head.

As much as it pained him to admit, he did it again. He's always had a bit of a temper, that much he knew.

Still, it made sense what Yang said. He was given a chance to be in Beacon Academy by Professor Ozpin, and the old man made it very clear to try to make an effort of meeting new people, and the first thing he does is picking fights with the first guy who pissed him off.

Blowing up was way too easy for him to do at times.

"You're right. I'm sorry I just…" This was never easy. "I just really don't like it when people mess with this jacket." Sable tugged at the sleeve, an apologetic expression was on his face. "It was given to me by someone very important. I-I'm sorry, guys." Sable said with a calm tone and hanging his head down. He was pretty apologetic to Yang and Ruby's surprise, considering how pissed and slightly rude he can be.

"H-hey, no harm no foul right?" Yang reassured him with a pat on his shoulder. "Just be sure to keep that temper in check. Can't have you yapping at every student now can we?"

Sable gave an awkward chuckle before sighing. "Ya know what, I'm just gonna...go for a walk."

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Are you sure you don't wanna walk to Beacon with us?"

"Hey, don't get me wrong, so far you two have been fine, but after _that_ incident with… you-know-what, I think I just need to go and clear my head. You know, just chill?" Sable explained, in a tone that felt like he wanted to be alone, yet he gave her a small smile.

Ruby wanted to tell him to walk with them, but she decided it might be best for him to cool off. She didn't know him too well, but Ruby could understand Sable's initial frustration and the burst of anger, because it reminded a bit of her sister, if she was more prone to saying swear words and much more aggressive. She sympathized with the fact that he valued the white jacket he wore because it was from someone important to him, just like her red cape and how it's the one thing that was a gift from her mother. Ruby nodded hesitantly because Sable seemed very stressed, and it might be better if they meet later, but Ruby really hoped they would.

Yang seeing all this nodded her head in understanding. "Well, after getting puked on I think getting some fresh air might be necessary. See ya later!" Yang said as she smirked and gave him a thumbs-up, and Sable chuckled as he started walking off the other direction with his suitcase in hand.

"Same to you too! See you later!" Sable said as he smirked, before splitting from the sisters and walking ahead of them.

"Hope to see you at Beacon Academy!~" Ruby cheerfully waved him off, having a smile plastered on her face, and with rosy cheeks, though Ruby wasn't aware of this herself.

Yang was very intrigued and happy how it slightly turned out, and when she turned to Ruby and saw her rosy cheeks, her joy only grew and wrapped her arms around Ruby for a hug.

"Aw, look at you! You went and made a new friend!" Yang congratulated Ruby whose face turned red before smiling back at her sister and giggling nervously.

"I guess I did, didn't I?" Ruby meekly admitted feeling slightly embarrassed, and even somewhat proud of this small accomplishment. Yang was actually right though. Going to Beacon Academy was going to be nerve-wracking for her, and she thought she could get by with only her sister. Yet, she actually managed to get on the good side of a stranger who she only knew because of that run-in against Roman Torchwick, and it seemed that the pale Faunus appreciated the company as well.

With that in mind, Ruby and Yang left to get a closer look at Beacon Academy, a school that would be their home in the days to come.

* * *

 _ **(BEACON ACADEMY, COURTYARD. 12:30 P.M.)**_

A relaxed sigh came out of Sable as he was just enjoying the solitary walk to the courtyard towards Beacon, and this would seem unusual to many people who met him — not that he has met many other people — but he truly appreciated some peace and quiet. He was away from all the noise, and he had only his thoughts and a small breeze to brush through his pale complexion, much to his liking.

He strolled by the grassy area near the courtyard for a bit, before resting his head on a big pine tree with a generous shade, shielding him from the burning heat of the sun and keeping his skin and complexion perfectly pale.

' _Now this is what I needed.'_ Sable hummed as his face was very relaxed, and a small smile on his face expressed how pleased he was. He was relieved that his jacket wasn't stained by that mess at the airship, and overall he felt at ease. As he looked up at the Academy, with towers so high you could mistake it for a castle, Sable took a deep breath as he was thinking of what happened prior to his leisurely stroll.

 _Well, a lot has happened since that night, and I do mean a lot._

Sable was in that Dust-store window-shopping just 4 days ago, then some goon interrupts him and tries to mug him before his face was planted a footprint. Shortly after that, he had to fight off other goons along and deal with a mafia-looking boss, before he got away after having to dodge some fireworks by that mysterious amber-eyed lady. He got interrogated alongside Ruby, and greeted shortly by Professor Ozpin, who gave both him and Ruby the opportunity to go to Beacon Academy! That much information is bound to exhaust anyone for a bit, and you would want a stroll too.

Aside from that, he was feeling plenty of emotions from the last few days and moments that happened earlier in the airship. They ranged from spunk to shock, disbelief, empathy, and regrettably...residual burning anger when his white jacket got and reeked of half-digested _food._

Now he never denied or lied about the short-fuse he has, but he still doesn't like how easy it was for him to almost start a fight because of the incident. In fact, he was slightly thankful that Yang was there to "keep a leash on him,'' as he figured she would make the joke if she could. It would be an obvious and lame joke, what with having wolf-like ears, but Sable just thought she was the kind of person who goes with the flow, at least that's the vibe he got.

' _Ruby Rose…'_ Sable half-lidded his eyes in amusement and scratched his head.

Ever since that night with the mobster- wannabe, being 'arrested' by the witch Huntress, and meeting Beacon Academy's headmaster, Ozpin; he was glad to see he got accepted into the academy, and until recently he was just slightly impressed a Signal Academy student was able to handle goons on her own. Now apparently she made it into Beacon, skipping two years ahead, and on the same day, where the future students would take the initiation exam?

Yeah. Sable was still trying to wrap his damn head around how Ozpin accepted her into the school that quickly. She still had two years of combat school, and she may have shown talent, but she doesn't seem to be the kind of person who thinks about strategy. She would actually be really great at acrobatics if anything.

However, Sable didn't criticize her much considering the 'homeschooling' he went through. If they witnessed those years of vigorous, muscle-tearing training; many would argue that maybe he was _too_ experienced. Ruby, on the other hand, wasn't average but surprisingly talented with good instincts on her. She just happened to get the lucky ticket and skipped two whole years of school _because_ of talent.

Sable knew at first that despite talent she was still a 15-year old missing some experience, but he couldn't deny that her dream of becoming a Huntsman was admirable. She needed to tone down that fangirl side of her a bit, and she kept pointing out Sable's 'swearing' much to his annoyance, but he figured it's something to expect from her.

Sable closed his eyes and chuckled to himself, standing up and getting ready to continue on his way. ' _Well, I can think of worse people I could meet.'_

After that coincidental thought, a puff of multi-colored smoke appears in front of him completely catching him off guard. Sable covered his mouth, and he could see a fumbling shadow positioning itself in the middle of the cloud of smoke, mumbling something about 'showtime'.

' _And I'm about to meet one of those worse people…'_ Sable groaned in exasperation and frustration before he scowled behind his sun goggles.. ' _...fantastic'_ The smoke finally cleared and he was right, there was someone in the middle of all that smoke, but he half-lidded his eyes at what he saw.

A boy. A very short boy. That isn't to say Sable thought he was looking at some random kid, just that compared to most of the guys in the airship, this kid was shorter than anybody in the airship.

He was probably even shorter than Ruby by like an inch and that's saying something.

This boy had wavy hair that reached just above the ears with a very dark shade of Mauve, and he wore a laid out checkered pattern of purple and black in his attire that definitely stands out for being just a simple suit. He flicked his horsetail eagerly, signaling his Faunus heritage.

"Why, Hellooo there!" The horse Faunus spread his arms wide in a pose that looked like he was mimicking the 'imperial generals', with his navy-colored flowing imperial cape.

...

"...okay?" Sable raised an eyebrow and gave him an unamused gaze. "Who the hell are you?"

"Why I'm glad you asked, my old wolf chum!" The short Faunus boy cheered as he extended his hand and held Sable's hand for a shake. "I'm going to be a fellow student here at Beacon Academy with ya!"

Sable tilted his head as he looked at this boy with an unamused expression."Yeah, I can see that; but if you don't mind I gotta be… somewhere else." He walked around the horse Faunus and started heading off his original path, but the purple-haired boy hurriedly jogged to stand in front of Sable once again.

"Oh come on, don't be like that!" The mystery boy pleaded as he wagged his finger at Sable, and it was slightly annoying. "Can't a fellow make a flashy entrance to his classmates without being brushed off like that?"

"Can't a fellow just have his peace without somebody interrupting their flow like _that_?" Sable retorted with a glare and a dismissive growl. "Now again, don't bother me." Sable dismissed checker-suit and walked around him one more time faster than previously, and the horse Faunus jogged even faster in front of Sable, who was pissed off by the persistence of this below-average boy. "What did I _just_ say!?" Sable exclaimed in frustration.

"Come. ON~" The petite horse-tailed pest, whined and begged. "I just wanted to introduce myself, pal! Is that so hard to ask? I mean I understand if you are in a hurry, but if someone wants to introduce themselves it's just common courtesy to introduce _yourself_." The boy insisted with a mischievous smile, as he offers one more handshake.

Sable looked at the horse boy for a moment, and he was leaning towards just walking off again but he got the vibe from this short kid that he was persistent. If that smile was a sign of anything, he was insisting on actually being tag buddies with the albino Faunus. Sable really didn't feel like he had time for an introduction like that, but as it seemed the horse boy in front of him wouldn't stop following him _until_ he introduced himself.

' _What a nuisance…'_ Sable groaned, and it showed as he furrowed his brow. He wanted to get out of the sun quickly, he didn't want to get stuck with sunburn, but now he has to do the one thing he was honestly hoping not to do.

Meeting annoying, pestering, and hyperactive people.

Sable sighed in defeat and merely extended his hand for a proper handshake. "My name is Sable Fenrisulven." He said with an unexcited tone as his hand was greeted with a contrasting excited handshake from the mischievous colt, who was beaming with a wide smile.

"Now that's more like it!"

' _I hope he doesn't do that thing…'_ Sable thought, he wasn't a fan of these kinds of meetings.

The boy then took a step back and introduced himself with a pose. "Hi! I'm Lilac Sleipnir, and my favorite things of all time are soda, carrot cake, and anything that resembles a shade of Purple!

Sable blinked a couple of times. ' _...well that was interesting.'_ This 'introduction' was definitely weird. Scratch that, this was very off-putting and he doesn't really like how snappy and hard to follow this Lilac is.

In fact, this meeting was going way faster than he would like, and he was about to take a step away—

" _We may not know each other all that well, me and Ruby included, but it never hurts to at least make a good impression right?"_

—but those words echoed in his mind and he inwardly groaned, but he didn't walk away.

Sable wasn't particularly interested in being close buds with Lilac, who had already been way to cheery, excited, and stubborn to introduce himself. The theatrical act didn't help with Lilac's childish demeanor, but Sable felt it would go against the advice that Yang gave him. As much as it annoyed the albino Faunus, he had to at least try to be polite.

' _An acquaintance, that's what he is just an acquaintance'_

Sable was not comfortable with this, but he rolled his eyes and strained an awkward chuckle. "So… it's nice to meet you...I guess."

"Oh no, it was my pleasure!" Lilac flashed a bright smile and put his hands on the back of his head walking with the white wolf Faunus. "So, what were you doing before?"

"Nothing really interesting, and I'm sure you don't need to know. Let's just say I'm gonna need a new change of clothes later." Sable explained and crossed his arms in thought. ' _Though I wouldn't need to if the guy had just brought a paper bag!'_

"Because vomit boy hurled all over the floor and your good clothes?" Lilac summarized, and Sable stared at Lilac with a frown. "Looks like I was right! I was wondering where the smell was coming from." Lilac covered his nose with his hands, chuckling all the while.

" _Ha Ha_ , very funny. Seriously, I don't want to talk about—" He paused for a second, and he widened his eyes in realization. "Oh shit! I just realized...I have no fucking idea where we're going!"

"No need to worry! The academy doesn't seem to be a convoluted complex anyway, so we should be able to figure out where to go, and you're in luck!" Lilac then grabbed Sable's wrist and surprised him with how easily he was able to drag him through the floor, comically at that. "Because I know _exactly_ where to go!

"...wait, hey let go! Dude, I can walk there myself and how the hell do you have that much strength!?" Sable barked out in confusion and shock.

"Well, the best lesson you can learn right now: Never underestimate someone with excellent upper body strength!" Lilac simply explained like that makes any sense.

"...okay first off; You're _way_ too short for that, and two; LET ME GO, YOU EGGPLANT-HEADED CHILD!"

"Not until we get to our destination!" Lilac responded. "Besides I think it's almost about time."

Sable raised an eyebrow. "Time? Time for what?"

"In three...two… and…"

 _ **BOOOOMMMM!**_

"There it is!" Lilac cheered in triumph.

"What the hell?" Sable widened his eyes, but soon half-lidded his eyes at the sight.

Looking to their sides, the Faunus pair could see a small explosion in the center of the courtyard, were standing in the middle of all that smoke and covered in soot are two girls, Sable recognizes one of them as Ruby, while there's another one wearing a fancy white dress, and with hair, that unlike his own albinistic white hair, was more akin to a snowflake given form of hair.

"Wait, what the hell happened?" Sable questioned at the sight that laid in front of them.

Lilac glanced at the sight of the explosion, and casually brushed it off like it was nothing. "Just a fireworks show, nothing to worry about!"

Sable glared at Lilac for a moment and then realized something he should have asked before.

"Wait a minute, why were you counting down before that happened… and how did you even know that would happen in the first place?"

"Oh, why that's a good question…" Lilac gave a shameless smile. "You don't need to know!"

"I'm pretty sure I do!" Sable replied but Lilac ignored that while dragging him away and humming to the tune of _Hall of The Mountain King_.

Without a care in the world, and so casually at that. Sable didn't know whether to say if Lilac was annoying, childish, weird or all of the above...or if he was just hallucinating and this horse boy was a figment of his imagination.

Sadly, it was real and Sable was a little anxious as to what Lilac was doing anyway, because Sable never met someone so hyper, over the top, and pretty enthusiastic about their tricks.

' _Wait, isn't Ruby kind of like that? No. At least she can tone it down, this kid is just balls-off-the-wall crazy!'_ Sable mentally processed all this with an irritated expression, before just not even giving a damn.

With a blank expression, he sighed. "...I guess I'm stuck with you." Sable muttered under his breath reluctantly.

"Yep!" Lilac replied quickly with no hesitation, and Sable only sighed. He had to deal with the many surprises today, an early admission student, an unfortunate incident that was certainly not pleasant for the smell of his white jacket, and now he was getting dragged around by 5'1 short boy who had freaky gorilla strength to the direction of the main hall, or at least that's what Sable assumed.

And it's just the middle of the goddamn day...but he could agree with one thing.

' _...at least I'm not bored.'_

* * *

 **(BEACON ACADEMY, Garden Area. 12:45 P.M.)**

Now, many people say the first day of school is usually an opportunity to make friends and get to know the school.

What many people never go through on the first day, is being ditched, get into an 'explosive' argument, greet new people only for them to have gone or ignored you, and being left on the ground to wallow in their own misfortune.

That was Ruby Rose's first _half_ of the day, and needless to say, she wasn't excited to be in Beacon after that little misunderstanding.

Luckily, earlier another fellow student offered a hand to Ruby, and she was slightly comforted until she realized that the student was the one who threw up on the ship. That didn't really stop them from socializing as they were walking by the walkway alongside a lake, inside Beacon Academy before the Main Hall.

The area was more abundant in nature, and the gardening of daffodils, and lilac's certainly painted a pretty picture compared to the rest of the school. Ruby looked over the gardening, and much to her confusion there weren't many roses, though she realized it'd be funny if there were.

On the way, she introduced himself to the student, and he introduced himself as Jaune Arc. He was a tall young man with fair skin and dark-blue eyes. His hair is short and blond, messily layered on his head. He is quite toned, having strong muscles in his arms, shoulders and upper chest, and Ruby notices the plates of armor that cover the hoodie he wears. He could make a good knight, though he was more kindhearted and suited better as a knight-in-training.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!" The blonde student justified, recounting the events that happened.

"Look, I'm sorry! Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind." Ruby laughed as she apologized for the name.

"Oh, yeah? What if I called you Crater Face?" Jaune retorted with a nickname of his own for Ruby.

"Hey, that explosion was an accident!" Ruby pouted as she justified her own accident, which admittedly _was_ an accident.

A very unfortunate accident, that wasn't really her fault or anyone's fault for that matter.

The young blonde shrugged his shoulders in agreement. "Well, so was the motion-sickness! It's not like I was trying to make a mess because I wanted to!" He took a deep breath of relief and anxiety as he remembered what had happened earlier with the pale white Faunus. "I was so close to getting a bruise on my pretty little face."

Ruby smiled awkwardly, knowing what he was referring to and the chase that happened as a result. "Y-yeah, I'm sure you were. Well, look on the bright side! You're still here safe, sound, without any sort of black-eye!" She listed off as she tried comforting Jaune, who responded with an awkward chuckle.

Before he could say anything though, Jaune noticed out of the corner of his eye two people heading towards them. It seemed to look like someone was dragging something with them. He narrowed his eyes to get a better look, then his eyes widened in surprise. "W-wait… Am I seeing this right?" He pointed his finger at the two people in disbelief.

Ruby looked towards where the blond-headed boy was pointing, and she was also left at a loss for words. She saw a maroon-haired, horse-tailed Faunus with a peaked hat, cape, and a checkered suit dragging a wolf-eared albino Faunus with sunglasses and a white leather jacket who she recognized was Sable.

"Why Hellllooooo there~!" The colorful Faunus marched with pep and offered a handshake with the hand that held Sable's wrist and dropped him to the ground. Ruby was slack-jawed with surprise and awe considering how short the boy in front of them was, if dragging in Sable who was taller than all of them, wasn't impressive already.

It was like seeing an Ant pick up a leaf 3 time's its own size, and they both wondered what the Horse Faunus in front of them did to get _that_ strong.

Ruby was still in a state of temporary shock, but Jaune was the first to recover from his awe and greet the horse boy in front of them. "Oh, uh, hello?"

"Hi there!~ My name is Lilac Sleipnir, and my pal Sable saw you guys in the distance and we just wanted to greet our fellow classmates!" The horse boy quickly introduced himself with a sense of theatricality while gesturing a hand to the white-haired Faunus who got back up from the ground, wiping the dust off his white jacket, white hair, and white dog ears.

"Did you really have to drop me like that?" Sable glared at Lilac who just stared at him back.

"Of course I had to! It was necessary to leave a good impression."

"That wasn't a good impression!" Sable exclaimed in anger, before groaning in defeat and crossing his arms. "Ya know what, fine. Just forget it." He isn't getting anywhere trying to explain to this hyper horse about what is a normal way to introduce themselves, and he just doesn't care to argue.

Ruby was relieved to see Sable, a familiar face; she really needed one right now with the explosive incident with that princess. She turned to the one who introduced himself, and her eyes widened when she noticed that Lilac was just about as tall as her. He was only like an inch shorter than Ruby, but she didn't think that he could be younger than her. Much as she knew, she was the only one who was admitted into Beacon Academy early.

"W-well, nice to meet you too Lilac!" Ruby greeted with a beaming smile as she continued, "My name is Ruby, and he's—

"So, what is this I hear about indigestion?" Lilac shamelessly interjected with no hesitation, Ruby seemed taken aback by the question while Jaune was equally embarrassed.

"Uh… I-I was just saying that motion sickness is a very c-common occurrence?" Jaune answered that odd question.

"Yeah it sure is, and ya looked like you needed a remedy for that!" Lilac reached inside his coat and actually took out a soda can and offered it to Jaune with a wide smile. "Would you like one?"

This was rather sudden, and Jaune was surprised with the kindness Lilac's given him. Compared to the hostility and threat of a beatdown from earlier, this kindness was eccentric at best, and freaky at worst. Though Jaune was tempted to take the offer, he politely declined, "Eh, no thanks. I'm not exactly in the best shape for it..."

Lilac wasn't fazed, in fact, he seemed like he was hoping for that answer as he already brought out a straw from his pocket. "Guess this one's mine then!" He proceeded to drink from it with a pleased and rested expression. Jaune couldn't help but sigh in relief.

At least he was much nicer than someone who tried to punch his face.

"So. You're the one who messed up my jacket?"

Jaune jerked his head towards the voice, the towering figure leaned towards Jaune with a sharp tone to his voice. This pale pretty boy was taller than him by 5 inches and he had a really stern and unreadable expression. The shades couldn't show the heart-piercing death glare, but it was enough for a bead of sweat to roll down Jaune's forehead, and the coward in him reared its head as he stammered with his hands to defend himself. "W-wait, wait wait wait wait, can't we just talk about this? I'm not much of a fighter, I'm more of a—!

"I'm sorry."

"...huh?" Jaune blinked owlishly as he tilted his head in confusion. "Come again?"

"Look, I realize that you really didn't mean to lose your lunch back at the airship. You did mess up my jacket, but I still got aggravated and I could have left you without a tooth if I did beat you up…"

Sable paused, directing his gaze to the floor. It was hard, not to mention slightly embarrassing, but he needed to make up for what happened as he continued his apology. He looked at Jaune in the face, taking a deep breath before saying what needed to be said.

"I lost my cool, and that's why I just wanted to say it right now. I'm sorry, please don't take it personally."

To say that he was stunned was an understatement.

When Jaune got chased down by Sable earlier, he wasn't thinking of talking to him rather than just avoid him at all costs. His punk-like exterior and attitude made sure of that. His intimidating look along with the sunglasses that made him look like a bad-cop from those old-school movies seemed to make him out to be the 'unapologetic jerk'.

Yet it's happening, Jaune is being apologized to by the one who not a while ago was about to cave his poor face into the pavement.

All things considered, he wasn't complaining.

"N-no need to apologize! It was my mistake anyway." Jaune accepted the apology, and with the tension from before all gone, he offered his hand. "Let's start over, The name's Jaune Arc."

Sable eyed the offer, with a pause. He thought about the perfect way of how to respond to this. His expression softened, and with a small smile, he accepted the handshake. "Sable Fenrisulven."

Ruby was stunned about what she witnessed, but she soon relaxed her expression and sighed in relief. Not that she expected a fight to break out in the first place, but when Sable had reacted earlier in explosive anger she was slightly tense and intimidated. But seeing how Sable apologized to Jaune as soon as he saw him again made her feel much calmer and without worries.

"I'm glad they made up. They seem to be getting along." Ruby said before turning to Lilac with a smile. "Anyway, have you met him before Lilac?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, I have! I would say we are pretty good pals." Lilac answered with a wide grin, though it was a half-truth. They only met recently, but Lilac found it exciting to meet new people. Then he looked intently at Sable and Jaune, almost in anticipation. "But I don't think he's done yet.".

Ruby just raised an eyebrow in confusion before turning her sights back to Jaune and Sable. "I don't know what you mean, they seem to be getting along!"

"Wow, you got a strong grip," Jaune stated astonished at the tight handshake Sable was giving him, but he had a gut feeling something else was going on and asked with a nervous smile, "I guess we're cool now right?"

Ruby didn't want to show, but she had a bad feeling near her stomach area that she tried to shake off. "Nothing bad's happening, it looks like they became friends."

Sable stared at Jaune before giving him a toothy grin full of spunk. "We are cool, I just need to make sure we're even."

Jaune blinked in confusion, "...what?" and without realizing it, Sable's straight punch collided directly with his face knocking him down to the floor.

"POW! Right in the kisser" Lilac raised a fist into the air as he whooped from the sidelines. He mischievously grinned still drinking from his soda in amusement, turning to Ruby. "What did I tell ya? He wasn't done yet."

"...I spoke too soon" Ruby blanched in shock, and wasn't excited compared to Lilac.

Jaune himself was visibly groaning from the pain as he rubbed the bruise on his cheek, "Ooooh that hurts! That hurt so bad…" Jaune wasn't really in a good position right now, and while he thought he might have had it coming, a small part of him had to think that what Sable did was pretty excessive.

For what it is worth though, Sable didn't have anything against the blond knight. Sable was always one to get even with people, though the old man would call it rather vengeful, and childish. When it came to the boy's age he always gave them one good punch, and right now all that mattered was that he got even.

"Hey hey hey hey hey!" Ruby hurried over to Jaune helping him off the ground. "Oh geez, Jaune are you okay?"

Jaune wasn't okay, "Y-yep, just...feeling p-peachy…" Ruby helping him up and adorably pouting in disapproval of Sable was certainly okay.

"Geez, did you really have to be that rough with him?" Ruby turned to Sable pouting and puffing her cheeks, and he found it adorably amusing. "I thought you were going to try to be more polite from now on?"

 _'She would make a good chipmunk_.'

"Ruby, all you need to know is that I'm the kind of guy who plays to get even. In return for him messing up my jacket, he gets a punch to the face instead of a beatdown. That settles it." That sentence sounded really familiar for our silver-eyed grade skipper, and she almost found it jaw-dropping how similar he was.

"You sound just like my sister..." Ruby muttered, rubbing her head before remembering what she wanted to ask. "Hey, do you know where we're going?"

"Y-yeah that is a good question, I was just following your lead. I have no idea where we are either" Jaune recovered from that punch fairly quickly to Ruby's surprise, and pitched in on the conversation."Do you guys think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court?"

Sable nodded and sighed in agreement, looking up with a dreamy expression. "I _am_ starving, I could go for some steak."

"Maybe they have cookies? They were so delicious last time." Ruby mumbled in delight.

"Carrot cake's gotta be on the menu. That's like, my _absolute_ soul food!" Lilac chirped in glee.

"Yeah...wait, no, we got off track. Where do we go, or actually does anybody even know where to go now?"

"I do!" Lilac chimed and pulled from his pockets a brochure of Beacon Academy with an included map of where to go, earning looks of awe and relief from Ruby, Jaune, and Sable. "If I'm reading this map right we need to go to the main hall of Beacon, which should be— oh over there!" Pointing his finger towards the direction of their original path. "Haha! This never gets old!" Lilac cheered as he jumped up and down from joy.

"Wait, they had brochures?" Jaune tilted his head when he asked the horse-Faunus, taking a look at the brochure Lilac held. "Where the heck did you get that anyway?"

"Back at the airship! One of the crewmembers was handing these out for free, so I just helped myself to one!" Lilac explained with pep and jumped rather suddenly on Sable's broad shoulders with a bright expression. In an ironic fashion, the cheerful kid was the cowboy on his stallion "Off we go my loyal steed!"

"H-hey what the hell!? Get off me!" Sable shook Lilac off to the ground, who went crashing down to the floor."I'm not giving piggy-back rides here! If you really wanna go then you can do it on your own two feet!"

"Phooey! You really are no fun…" Lilac's expression drooped to a childish frown, before getting up and running to their destination. "Let's just go! I'm excited to see the school on the inside!"

"For once we can agree on something…" Sable muttered and turned to Ruby and Jaune. "So you guys just gonna stay there, or are you coming with us?"

"Y-yeah, let's go! H-Hey Lilac, wait up!" Ruby called out before heading towards Lilac, leaving Sable and Jaune behind in the dust.

.

..

…

"S-so…" Jaune whistled a tune as he saw Ruby head off, trying to figure out what to say to the tall, disinterested, intimidating Faunus that stood next to him. If he could, he'd just talk this out and put it all behind them, but after that punch, he took he wasn't sure that Sable was going to comply.

 _'He already apologized though, so why am I hesitating so much?'_ Jaune swallowed a lump in his throat and decided to ask him a question plain and simple.

Nothing too serious, just to break the tension between them.

"Hey, do you know anyone who might be interested in a tall, blonde and nice guy like me?"

Jaune knew it was a stupid question to ask, but there had to be at least something to break the ice.

Jaune tried to save face with an unconvincing grin, hoping Sable wouldn't punch him in the face for that. He braced himself for it regardless.

"...no," Sable said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walked away to catch up to Ruby and Lilac. Jaune hunched over, sighing in relief and embarrassment, with a little hint of his self-confidence going down, over what he said before deciding to follow a good 10 steps away. Though now he wasn't sure about Sable, or more accurately he didn't know what to expect now.

One moment Sable hounds him down like a rabid dog, and the next time they meet he apologizes, then socks him so hard that his apology seems less sincere. But he seemed relaxed when Ruby came into the picture, and that Lilac seemed to just prod at him rather than outright annoy him. Jaune tried to think about what he thought of the white-haired wolf, but he only arrived at one answer.

" _Don't want to piss him off again..."_ Jaune never was too quick to judge people, he never saw any reason to.

Though at this point, it would be best to keep a distance from him.

* * *

 _ **So, how was that? Sable and Lilac are off to a weird start, and we got to explore a bit of Sable's and Jaune's interactions between each other. Sable's short temper is an issue he has been dealing with for a while now, but he has not much problem in admitting his mistakes.**_

 _ **Lilac's character was mostly to be an influence of many 'trickster' like characters, you know the ones who cause mischief within the group and actually enjoy the shenanigans that happen with the group. I certainly hope you guys enjoyed him as much as I enjoyed writing him!**_

 _ **Now here's the important news: I've been getting into so much Black Clover recently, me and Travis Moon end up discussing this series enough\ to the point where we made our OC's for the story already. That's gonna be the next story and chapter I'm gonna be writing, so I look forward to it!**_

 _ **With that said I, Maelstrom, hope to see you on the horizon!**_


	3. Chapter 3: New Competition, New Troubles

_**Hello! It is the Maelstrom, and I followed up with a surprise chapter for you today!**_

 _ **Now I know the last chapter I said I was going to do that Black Clover story, but then I realized after starting it that I was simply...not driven to do that. As in, I didn't last long in wanting to write that ya feel me?**_

 _ **With RWBY Volume 7 maybe it got me back into that RWBY vibe and I wanted to write the third chapter! So here it is!**_

 _ **Last time we left off, Sable and Lilac met Ruby and Jaune. Then they had to leave to where Ozpin would make his speech.**_

 _ **Now, I hope you enjoy the continuation of Team SLFR!**_

* * *

 _ **CHAPTER 3: New Competition, and New Troubles**_

* * *

 _ **(BEACON, AUDITORIUM 1:15 P.M.)**_

" _So many people! So many potential targets!"_ Lilac's childish giggling couldn't contain the absolute anticipation and energy that he felt when he first arrived at Beacon. He _loved_ meeting new people, just as much as he _loved_ making practical jokes on the people he meets.

Lilac, being the hyperactive horsie, was giddy with excitement when he saw his future classmates in one place. Ruby was pretty overwhelmed in comparison, and she seemed to shrink on the inside. Jaune wasn't bothered by the massive amount of people, instead, he was in search of any cute girls he could (hopefully) get to know. Sable looked the most uncomfortable of the group, and it showed in his furrowed brow, behind those shades and the anxious tapping of his left boot.

It's very entertaining to see people's varied reactions to change, and Lilac quietly snickered when he noticed Sable's annoyance and discomfort.

After the group arrived, they took a moment to take in the sight of the auditorium. The marble floor, and the stone pillars arching around the crowd of students where the Headmaster would soon make his speech. The bright lights from above lit up the stadium, and Lilac got a bit too excited since he quickly bid his farewells to meet with a bunch of new people. Of course, Sable came along with him too with a little convincing from Lilac but the big-bad wolf dragged Lilac to one side of the auditorium before he had a chance to meet the people of the crowd.

What a spoilsport.

The Faunus duo was now standing next to a pillar that was close to the stage. Sable leaned his back on it, bored out of his mind and uncharacteristically patient. Lilac, on the other hand, jumped up and down in giddy impatience.

As a prank-loving teen, he never stayed focused on one thing for too long. As soon as he was done playing magic tricks on dull onlookers back in Mistral, he would go on to play mean-spirited—albeit well-deserved—pranks and graffiti to more intolerant individuals.

Lilac's hyperactive, bright-eyed, and exceedingly bright for his age, but there's a problem with that. He's not really that patient if he has to wait in the same spot for more than 10 minutes...

But 10 long minutes had passed since splitting from Ruby and Jaune, and Lilac was starting to get a bit anxious. He stopped jumping and instead proceeded to pace back and forth while he glanced over to Sable. The bleach-haired Faunus took off his sun-goggles and rubbed the glass with a piece of cloth.

Abrasive, a tough demeanor, an unusual complexion and significantly taller than Lilac or anybody in the crowd in front of them; Sable has been an interesting acquaintance to cross paths with.

He doesn't seem to be sociable, and in addition his crude attitude it makes sense why he doesn't get along with people. Knowing this, Lilac didn't expect for Sable to actually drag him to some corner of the auditorium if his intention was to get away from people in general. Lilac wondered if Sable was trying to not get into a scuffle like before, assuming that maybe he just wanted some peace and quiet

Except that mean's Lilac is stuck here with Sable—who won't so much as give him a glance—and he's starting to get bored.

That's never good for Lilac.

He made it to Beacon Academy. After four long years back in boring combat school, he finally made it into the academy he's always dreamed of going since he was a kid! Now he had to chance to meet even more people among the crowd, meaning more opportunities to prank them, meaning many ways to have fun; it's practically all he wanted his entire life!

But he was getting bored with every passing second, his foot tapping quickening as he started fidgeting with his peaked hat. The anticipation was killing him, the crowd held so many potential friends that he was missing out on! Just scanning it from a distance isn't enough! His tapping foot furiously sped up, and he wasn't sure if he could hold in the urge to–

"Would you cut that out!?" Lilac flinched at the sudden shout from Sable, who put his sun-goggles back on to give him a quick glare.

He sheepishly scratched his cheek and put up a wide grin, as he chuckled with embarrassment "W-whoops, my bad!"

"Jeez, what was all that tapping about? It was getting annoying!"

"Sorry, Sorry, 'bout that!" Lilac held his hands in surrender, before pointing towards the crowd of people in front of them. "I'm just so gosh darn excited with all these people, here in one place!"

Sable groaned out his annoyance, raising an eyebrow at Lilac. "What's there to be excited about, it's just a bunch of people huddled together in one room."

"That's exactly why I'm so excited! Making friends is just the best part about situations like these!" Lilac's eyes sparkled with a kind of joy that he always enjoyed, he hoped that Sable would understand it. "Come on, you should be happier!"

"Sorry if I'm not brimming with your obnoxious attitude, but I'd rather not get chummy with these people."

"Why not?" Lilac tilted his head in wonder, "We're all going to be classmates here anyways, why not get out there and make some friends?"

' _Instead of just sitting here twiddling your thumbs and boring me to death!'_

Sable chuckled an amused, sarcastic laugh from his lips. "Okay, let me remind you something important okay?" Sable started, stuffing his hand into his pockets. "All of us right here, we're here to become _Huntsman_. This isn't some high-school musical where all of us are going to be dancing around suddenly out of nowhere!"

"Oh now, wouldn't that be splendid! You could be the awkward, yet handsome transfer student who has such a passion for theatre that you just can't help but break into song; only for you to realize that you let that out spontaneously that it haunts you for–"

"Shut up!" Sable shouted once more, causing Lilac to snap out of his daydreaming. "There's no way that's _ever_ gonna be a thing, okay?"

"But maybe—

"EVER!" Sable shut the conversation down before a frustrated sigh was let from his lips. "Just be patient alright? We won't have to wait for too long until the headmaster comes out"

"But I'm so bored~" Lilac whined out his boredom, he was getting nowhere with this conversation.

" _Jeez, when is he coming out anyway?"_

Just as he finished that thought, he noticed someone was on the stage. It took Lilac a bit of squinting to get a good look, considering that people taller than him were blocking his view. When he did get a better look, his eyes widened and immediately squealed in delight and happiness.

' _Finally! Here he is!'_

* * *

"Sable, Sable! The headmaster's here now!" Sable heard Lilac call out to him, turning his head and straightened up when he saw the headmaster. "Damn, he really does rock that color pallet huh?"

"That's the first thing you noticed?" Sable muttered that comment, deciding to pay attention to what Professor Ozpin has to say to the students now.

He heard many things about Ozpin from the old man. Steadfast, diligent, and a patient man to boot. He recalled the time he first met Ozpin during that interrogation with the witch, and he could clearly remember the air of mystery that surrounded him.

Something that made him seem...off, to put it politely. Sable understood that people keep secrets, he should know that better himself. Whenever people asked about his complexion, or even about his own personal life, he either brushed them off, ignored their questions, or gave them a fist to the face…

...but compared to himself, Ozpin's a considerably secretive man from what he heard; not much is known about him and his reluctance to share anything was suspicious.

' _...I'm doing it again. I really need to stop assuming things like that.'_ Sable stood straight, giving his full attention to Ozpin.

The silver-haired professor adjusted his glasses, cleared his throat, and into the microphone he spoke.

" _I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."_

' _Obviously.'_ Sable rolled his eyes in agreement, bearing an unnoticeable smirk. A Huntsman's known as Remnant's warriors and guardians in the fight against the Grimm; Beacon's a perfect place for him to start his quest. There's not much else to be said, a Huntsman is supposed to be strong, skilled, and not ever lose.

Otherwise, Sable would never have come here in the first place.

" _But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction."_

' _...what?_ _Wasted energy? He's really not implying that I'm that clueless is he?"_ Sable raised an eyebrow, not understanding what Ozpin means to say. If Ozpin meant to imply that he wasn't sure of the applicant's motivation and skills to become Huntsman, he must be underestimating them _badly_.

Just the thought displeased Sable, and a frown creased his features.

" _You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."_ Ozpin finished his speech leaving the stage, and the student's confused and unsure. Shortly, Sable noticed that the witch Glynda came up to the stage and spoke.

" _You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."_

The crowd dispersed as soon as the witch dismissed them all, but there were still a few students hanging around the auditorium

Tomorrow. Sable's chance to become an official student was tomorrow.

Ozpin's speech left him confused and honestly didn't get what he really meant. But more than anything, Sable was left with a frustrated scowl, gritting his teeth. 'Wasted potential and no idea of what you want to be.' That's what he interpreted that speech to be.

Ozpin couldn't be more wrong. Sable knows _exactly_ what he wants to be: a Huntsman! More than anything he wants to be a strong and skilled Huntsman. For the headmaster to imply that we don't know what we signed up for is insulting!

"Hey, Sable. Didn't he look a bit… down in the dumps?" Lilac's question snapped Sable out of his thoughts, turning his head down to Lilac. He almost forgot how colorfully obnoxious the shades of purple on his outfit was on the eyes; he half-lidded his eyes at Lilac's stupid smile.

"U-uh, maybe… I don't know I was distracted." A lie. Sable looked around a bit, noticed the lack of people and decided that maybe he could just slip away somewhere away from Lilac before–

"H-hey! Knock it off!"

"Look at that! These things really _are_ real!"

"Please let them go!"

Sable's wolf ears picked up a conversation, somewhere in the direction of the entrance, the same for Lilac. The Faunus duo looked to the entrance and saw two people. One of them was a panda-eared young girl, who looked only a bit taller than Lilac. She looked to be a Faunus, and her ears were being pulled roughly by someone else. He had burnt-orange hair combed backward with a slight peak at the front. He wore a silver-gray armor, an outstretched bird on his chest plate, and his smug sneer tipped off a lot of red flags for Sable and Lilac.

' _Great...guess Beacon's got its fair share of bullies.'_ Sable tightened his fists together, before glancing at Lilac; only to be surprised with the serious and cold expression in Lilac's eyes.

This 180 shift in expression and mood from Lilac was unexpected, and Sable stared in confusion. Still, at least it meant that he agreed with Sable's sentiment; both without a word started stepping towards the argument.

"P-please… it hurts so much!" The panda girl pleaded in pain, tears threatening to leak out her eyes.

"Seriously, they actually hurt," The sneering bully mocked the girl, pulling even tighter without stopping. "Mind saying that one again? Maybe then I'll let you go!"

Sable's eyes glared harshly as he and Lilac walked slowly to the argument, Lilac's cold and piercing burgundy eyes burrowing into Cardin. The girl looked meek and frail, barely able to stand up for herself against the boy who continued to abuse her ears.

' _That kinda shit just pisses me off!'_

Sable was having some difficulty restraining the urge to go up and punch the student in the face; but even so, he wanted to do it so bad! He knows he shouldn't get into a fight, Goldilocks already said that a fight like that could get him and Jaune kicked out before getting into Beacon. But this isn't a misunderstanding, no this is a student being hurt and taken advantage of by some asshat who doesn't care how much she's in pain!

The strong preying on the weak...Sable hated that more than anything!

But before Sable and Lilac could do anything stupid to get themselves kicked out, a third party approached the argument before the duo could intervene. They stopped in their tracks, Lilac and Sable raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"What is going on here?" The young man narrowed his eyes at the bully, looking slightly taller than Goldilocks, and he seemed to have sturdy and broad shoulders. The round spectacles, his tousled brown hair and Sapphire blue eyes, along with a more well-rounded and formal blue coat over a brown suit; he was definitely the perfect appearance of a scholar.

"Tch. Buzz off, four-eyes." The bully scowled at the unknown scholar, "I'm just teaching this Faunus here what happens when freaks intrude on other people's business!"

"Surely you must have better things to do than to bother people with you're _toxic_ drivel," The young man adjusted his glasses, remaining formally sarcastic. "After all, someone may witness this little event and speak to the professors about this mistreatment."

"What mistreatment? Faunus are nothing but animals. Freaks of nature!" The silver-plated asshat scoffed his disagreement, "I thought an Atlesian rich boy like you would understand something so simple!"

The spectacle young man glared heavily his steely eyes, and put a firm, commanding grip on the bully's forearm, tightening his grip. The bully was caught off-guard by the sudden grip, the pressure building to the point of letting go of the Faunus's ears in pain.

"Don't lump me in with intolerant, uneducated, individuals like you…" He said, letting go of his grip and glaring at the bully. "Now leave at once before you cause any more trouble than you already have."

Seeing no reason to stay, the bully left with a growl of frustration. The blue-eyed scholar saw him walk off until he was sure he left. He then turned to the Faunus girl with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you alright, milady?" His tone softened to be more concerned and worried about his fellow students. He pulled out from his pocket a small box of bandages and offered them gingerly to the student he doesn't even know "Do you need a band-aid for the pain?"

The girl blinked owlishly before blushing madly, "U-u-uh, yes! I mean, please thank you…" She accepted the offer with grace, before nodding her head and walking off to another part of campus.

"Well...guess we didn't have to get involved huh?" Sable finally spoke after witnessing this event, and one last look at Lilac showed that he reverted back to that obnoxious smile again. Though being honest, he looks better with that smile than a cold glare.

"Hmmm? Oh, yes. I suppose now that that's done and over with…" The spectacled man stepped up to Sable and Lilac, before offering a polite bow that raised a couple of eyebrows from Sable. "Forgive my sudden intrusion, but I noticed that you both tried to step in. Of course, I predicted you would cause a needless fight and that wouldn't do; so I took it upon myself to diffuse the situation before things escalated–"

"U-uh hey dude? We get it already; actually, I think we wanted to thank you for that." Sable stated, gesturing to himself and Lilac.

"Yeah! Man, That was so cool how you grabbed his arm and stared him down until he gave in!" Lilac exclaimed with excitement, back to his childish persona as he jabbed the air in excitement. He flashed a bright and wide smile along with offering his hand and a happy flick of his horsetail. "The name's Lilac! What's your name?"

"Hey, shortie! I think he's already had enough trouble as it is for today–"

"No, No. It's perfectly fine." The spectacled young man reassured Sable's worries and shook Lilac's hand with a knowing smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lilac. My name is Frey Sapphire."

' _I-I guess he's not as stiff as I assumed he would be.'_

"Awesome! This here's my friendly chum," Lilac pointed a thumb at Sable, chuckling mischievously. "But don't worry if he ignores you the first time; he's a shy one you see."

"N-no I'm not! Shut up!" Sable snapped quickly, before sighing in resignation and scratching his head in awkwardness. "Sable Fenrisulven, don't forget it."

"Will do so, it's a pleasure to meet you too Sable. I certainly admire your initiative to help your fellow student back there."

"Oh, y-yeah. Sure, that's what it was."

"Well, you know what they say: Us Faunus gotta stick together right?" Lilac nudged an elbow at Sable.

"Please, it had nothing to do with that." Sable scoffed. "Looking at that asshole pick on her when she can't even fight back just pissed me off, and I wanted to do something about it."

"Yes, such a shame. Intolerance is a sadly contagious plague." Frey looked down in disappointment, his people being how they have disheartened him to a degree. "Nonetheless, you stood up without anyone needing to tell you, and I truly respect that." Frey adjusted his glasses and offered his own hand to Sable.

"Whatever, I guess." Sable shrugged with a small smirk on his face, Frey's polite and friendly attitude compared to his own was mildly pleasant. However, upon closer inspection, Sable noticed the emblem pinned to the front of Frey's jacket. A Laurel with a spear pointing upwards entwined with gold and cyan highlights.

' _W-wait is he…'_

Frey chuckled, before realizing something important. He pulled out a pocket watch, ornate and gold in color, looking at the time and knew what time it is now. "Forgive me, but I have some business to attend to. I need to meet up with another acquaintance of mine. It's been a pleasure making your acquaintance. Have a good day." Frey turned to walk away, but Sable suddenly spoke out.

'Hey, if you don't mind me asking just one more question…" Sable paused, making sure that Frey heard.

Frey looked over his shoulder curious as to what the question was. "Of course, but make it quick."

Something about Frey seemed off when he first noticed, but now after speaking with him and getting a closer look… he needs to confirm where he came from.

"I'm just curious, I'm from Vale. I wanted to ask what kingdom you come from?"

Frey widened his eyes and offered a knowing smile as he finally answered.

"I'm from the kingdom of Atlas."

* * *

 _ **(BEACON AUDITORIUM 9:30 P.M.)**_

The day was much calmer and not much commotion compared to earlier, and Sable liked it that way.

After the conversation with Frey, Lilac said that he wanted to explore the rest of Beacon and bid his farewells to Sable, saying that they'll see each other real soon. Sable for a moment dreaded the thought of meeting him again but agreed that distractions would help calm him down.

Sable decided to find his locker where he could pack his military suitcase to prepare for tomorrow's initiation exam. Afterward, he thought maybe getting to know his surroundings would be a good idea. He found many potential napping spots but ended up taking a nap in a spot in the same auditorium where he could rest in peace after a long day.

Not as exciting as what Lilac left to do, but Sable found that more comforting than dealing with other people.

He even spotted Ruby and Yang a couple of times during his little walks, the little sister more often wandering with starry-eyed wonder while Goldilocks followed her. He didn't necessarily hate seeing them, in fact, they might be the closest thing to a normal interaction since arriving here, but he knew Ruby herself was trying to get out of her shell and despite some pushing from Yang hasn't made a new friend since… well himself. Considering that, he usually walked the other direction before the sisters could even notice he was there.

Still, he wondered if Ruby was having fun.

It was nighttime finally, which meant that all students were in the auditorium preparing their sleeping bags. Sable finally breathed a sigh of relief now that he was wearing the same gray T-shirt and pants he wore all day, but his alabaster leather jacket was stored in his locker. The sun was no longer an issue, so he wouldn't have to sleep with 2-layers of clothing. He still kept the sun goggles around his neck though, just in handy for when daybreak comes.

Where the sun used to be instead shone softly the shattered moon and the auditorium lit up with the occasional lit candle, and chatter from the student's who were still awake.

Sable was having a predicament, however. Was it sleeping in the middle of a big crowd? Kinda, but he could easily force himself to do so if strangers didn't bother him; no one even bothered too. Sure, some looks and glares were thrown at him but just because he was either Faunus or tall and intimidating than any student here.

That didn't bother him at all. It was the... _mixing_ of students that was nagging at Sable.

' _Boys and girls aren't even split and divided from each other!?'_ Sable twitched an eyebrow, looking around the crowd to see that there were a couple of friends, male and female, next to each other, some of them in groups together, and he could've sworn he saw two of them...kissing.

A nervous sweat rolled down his face, but he shook the anxiousness away and decided not to think about it too hard. He could just go to sleep right now, there wouldn't be a problem anyway right–

"Why hello there my good chum, Sable!"

"AAAGGGHHH!" Sable shouted in an unexpected surprise, stumbling forward a couple of times. He turned back to see (who else?) Lilac… who was wearing an orchid-shaded unicorn onesie, complete with a sleeping cap?

"...oh shit. It's you again." Sable pinched the bridge of his nose, glaring daggers at Lilac. "Now what?"

"Well, after the day we had together. What with meeting that red-hooded girl, the young blond pukey boy, and that specs wearing gentleman; I figured you would want some company after being oh so lonely for the rest of the day!" Lilac put his hands behind his head and winked at Sable. "So, I was over here wondering if maybe you want to come with me and go check some ladies? Eh? Eh?" Lilac nudged his elbow at Sable's side, getting an exasperated sigh from Sable who kneeled down to look Lilac straight in the eye.

"What is it with you? Is this some kind of joke you always do? Are you really that much of a child?" Sable whispered harshly.

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing!" Lilac tilted his head out of curiosity, almost as if he wanted to ask back. Nosy little asshole. "Why are you always so insistent on being alone? That's not really any fun now, is it? I mean, meeting new people lets you get to know them and vice-versa!"

"Okay, I know you have this weird, creepy hobby of yours just popping out of nowhere and dragging people into your messes," Sable frowned deeply and gripped Lilac's shoulder tight. "But I've had a long day, and right now I don't want to deal with people okay?"

"Seriously, man lighten up!" Lilac reassured Sable, "There you go getting rough with people when they poke the bear over and over!"

"That's the reason why I was so 'lonely' today! I'd rather not go around to every person if I don't have to start a conversation! Plus with my attitude, it's hard to even hold one!" Sable argued with Lilac, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"Well, you're making conversation with me right now. Doesn't look like you can't!" Lilac said cheerfully, remaining optimistic as he gave a thumbs-up to Sable who raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I mean, when I first saw you I thought you were some big tough guy, looking to punch someone in the face! But now, you just seem to be a really tall guy who's really just self-conscious of his own attitude with people!"

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Sable shouted with shark teeth, but he was met with several shushes from people who were trying to sleep. Sable sighed in resignation and stood up straight looking to Lilac with a tired look.

"F-fine, if you really plan on sticking with me then there's no use in arguing."

"Neato! So, about that favor from earlier." Lilac's mischievous smile and hand rubbing looked more dastardly then it was supposed to, Sable merely sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go along with you." Sable boorishly said, with a blank expression.

Soon after, he followed Lilac as they started walking around the auditorium, careful not to step on anybody who may be sleeping while trying to be quiet. They walked around for about 5-minutes before Lilac noticed something out of the corner of his eyes and chuckled, giving a knowing look at Sable before pointing to...Ruby and Yang?

They too seemed like they were heading to another person, who leaned on the wall while reading a book. Sable immediately noticed the big black bow she was wearing and the ivory hair that complemented her amber eyes.

"...oh no."

"Oh yeah! You recognize them, don't you? Well, I hope you're ready!" Lilac grinned and pulled Sable by the wrist without waiting for a reply. By this point, Sable didn't resist the grip. If anything he was slightly relieved that the people Lilac would have him talk to would be Ruby and Goldilocks. Though he didn't really prepare for this, and now was trying to think up what to say without losing his temper again.

' _Here's looking to Ruby taking over the conversation instead of me…'_

"Hel-looooo!/Why hello there~," The horse Faunus and Goldilock both said at the same time, with the latter being surprised and the former still grinning wide.

"Oh. I'm sorry, uh, but who are you?" Yang asked, confused as to being called out off-guard.

"Hi! The name's Lilac, and I've got your back! See, my friend here recognized you and he just wanted to come by and say hello. So, I thought, 'why not meet his friends' am I right?" Lilac then turned to Sable with a shit-eating grin. "Mind introducing me to these two beautiful ladies?"

' _WHAT THE FUCK DUDE!?'_

"S-sure, I guess…" Sable awkwardly responded, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sure you remember her, with the teddy bear in her jammies is Ruby—"

"H-hello again Lilac, it's good to see you" Ruby responded, slightly more at ease and yet felt awkward.

"And this one over here is...Yang right?" Sable asked

"Yup! Nice to meet ya Lilac!" Yang confirmed with a smile on her face, then she turned to Ruby with a question "Wait, you met him before didn't you sis?"

"It was a small meet up actually! Just stopped to say hello to her and that Jauney boy!" Lilac clarified and chuckled a bit. "Of course, the big dog over here looked very lonely after we arrived so I just let myself into his personal 'kennel' if you know what I mean." Lilac held a hand over his mouth to hide his chuckle, causing groans from both Sable and Ruby.

Yang chuckled at the bad pun, and she replied with yet another one. "H-hey, hey. 'Paws' right there!"

Lilac raised an eyebrow until he curved a sly grin. "Why? That pun was 'paw-fect' ain't it?"

Sable twitched an eyebrow in annoyance, not realizing Yang noticed it and went with another pun. "Give him some credit, he's not that bad just a little… 'ruff' around the edges!"

Yang and Lilac both chortled at the same time as their little exchange.

"Hahaha! Oh, she is good!" Lilac laughed like it was a knee-slapper, turning to Sable with a smile. "Why didn't you tell me about this pun master?"

Sable shifted his foot before groaning out his discomfort, "Because I knew you and he would end up doing that."

"I second that…" Ruby muttered under her breath.

Things are going as he feared. At least, things aren't too annoying anyway. If anything, they were only… less annoying. Weird.

"A-anyway, Sable where've you been all day?" Ruby asked, clearly curious as to what Sable did all day.

' _...and there's the question.'_

"Huh?" Sable looked at Ruby confused. "Oh, just took a long nap the entire day if that's what you're asking…"

"Oh really? That's nice!" Ruby said with a slightly chipper tone, looking just as comfortable as Sable right now. "Can't wait for tomorrow! It's a big day ahead of us!"

"Yeah, not gonna lie I know it's gonna be something exciting and heart-pounding like–"

"–getting to use our weapons?" Ruby said it at the same time as Sable, causing both to look at each other surprised; yet a small giggle came from Ruby and a chuckle from Sable.

"Oh, Jinx," Sable said.

"Huh? What's that?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Jinx. You owe me a soda now."

"W-wait a minute, what?"

"Ruby, he means that you're gonna have to buy a soda for him." Yang shook her head and gave a small grin to Sable. "Either way, you can save that for another time, right? After all, I can only assume you were tired before coming here"

"Uh,y-yeah, Yeah!" Sable rolled his shoulders and shrugged. "See you guys tomorrow, and make sure you two sleep on the right side."

Yang and Ruby hummed in confusion, Yang asking first. "Wait, why?"

"Because the guy's here embarrassed about how all the boys and girls are sleeping together!" Lilac chirped as he put his arm over Sable's tall shoulders, hanging like he was on a monkey bar. "He tries to act tough, but I know that he's really a big softie–"

"Ooookay! That's enough!" Sable, having enough of Lilac's shenanigans, grabbed the back of Lilac's shirt and pulled him off. "Ruby, Yang. Have a nice day." Giving a slightly fake smirk to Ruby and Yang he started dragging Lilac to another corner of the auditorium.

"Hehe! Shouldn't have poked the bear too hard now huh?"

"Just shut the fuck up and go to you're corner and get some shut-eye you midget!"

"There's the language again!" Lilac chortled in glee, having succeeded in doing what he wanted to do.

Sable while clearly getting frustrated with Lilac's antics, asked himself why he didn't just tell him to piss off and go somewhere else. Honestly, he's so invasive and he pops in out of nowhere when he wants to have fun at someone else's expense! Although, there is the incident with the Faunus girl. Lilac's usually childish demeanor turned into something deadly serious, and if anything he looked just as pissed as Sable did. He imagined that it was for a very different reason though, and he probably won't even get to hear it.

Sable didn't understand it yet, but when it came to people like Lilac and Ruby of his age; he felt more at ease and less willing to just brush them off and leave. He isn't _that_ rude, but the old man always did tell him to try to work with people when they visited Vale. Sable didn't understand it though, because that was one month out of every year…

...and the rest was spent on _grueling, and muscle-tearing_ training to be a Huntsman.

Still, Sable believed that he would never get used to people other than the old man. Until Ruby showed up, and Lilac who kept prodding at him to speak or _do_ something out of boredom.

As Sable thought about those two, unknown even to himself he chuckled a little bit. They were surprisingly a lot of fun to be around than he would admit.

Of course, he isn't going to admit that because it just makes him look like an idiot.

Afterward, he left Lilac in the corner where Lilac would sleep. A sleeping bag, of purple-checkered diamond patterns.

" _Seriously, tone it down."_

Soon after, Sable went back to his sleeping spot. Getting comfortable within his bed, he remembered the day he had so far…and a smirk formed along with his features.

' _It wasn't a bad day I guess…'_

* * *

 _ **(BEACON, LOCKER ROOM. 9:15 A.M.)**_

It was close. _Very close._

The anticipation drew closer and steadily building up as he applied medical sunscreen around his arms, neck, and face. He donned his sunglasses, looked at himself one more time in the locker mirror, and smirked in satisfaction when he saw his attire complete with the fully zipped-up leather jacket.

Albinism is really an unusual condition, but luckily something he could manage with a routine of fully covering clothing and sunscreen for the face.

Combat gear equipped, he pulled out from his embroidered suitcase his two trusty weapons from an early age: Skoll and Hati. The former being his trademarked fuel-injected sword, and the latter being a trusty firearm.

Hati resembled a double-action revolver, customized to a great extent to have a 6-shot cylinder, an extra barrel underneath for a double shot. It had a firm, molded wooden grip and an intricate black moon design carved into the silver arm of the weapon. Furthermore, it had holographic sights made for precision.

Sable inspected both weapons to check if they were up to shape, and nodded his head at its well-maintained design. He adjusts a holster for Hati at his hip and keeps it there. Skati, on the other hand, being such a long sword and with no scabbard to sheathe it, he wrapped it to the sword belt around his waist.

' _Heh, finally something I can get behind'_ He noted as he looked chipper and the smirk on his face said it all. Finally, no more dealing with annoying or infuriating people. It's just him and the rest of the students in a competition; Sable was confident that he would come out on top.

…

Sable noticed the silence and looked around him as if someone was missing. He turned until he saw Lilac off on another corner of the locker room unloading his own weapons; which looked really similar to a dual-wield dagger set up. Sable eyed the horse Faunus curiously, he looked seemingly unaware of his presence. That's a good thing. At least that means he can just walk the other direction with no problem. He had something else in mind to do before leaving.

Check out the competition.

Wandering around, he saw familiar faces, found some potential competition, and...unusual students, to say the least.

First, there was Ruby and Goldilocks, though he left them to a small squabble they were having and didn't want to intrude and get caught up. Then he saw Jaune muttering something about not being able to find his locker, but his attention was soon locked on _two_ people the blond passed by.

A blazen-haired female with deep emerald eyes, wearing a spartan armor so iconic for only one person. She had elaborate bronze greaves that started below her mid-thigh before continuing downwards into her boots as well as a pair of cuisses that began mid-thigh and ended slightly above her knees.

Unmistakable. She's **Pyrrha Nikos,** the famous 'Invincible Girl' everybody couldn't shut up about when she won the Mistral Fighting Tournament. The prodigy and 'pride of Mistral'. The lady with no weaknesses.

The only student here who Sable would willingly ask to a _serious_ match barring the old man!

Sable couldn't restrain the toothy grin that spread his features. He was ecstatic, excited, and most of all, more than willing to challenge her to a proper match.

' _Out of everyone here, she's the most surprising entry to Beacon Academy!'_

The second girl beside her spoke to Pyrrha, and while Sable didn't hear everything because it was none of his business; he accidentally heard something about teams.

' _Teams? She really believes that rumor spreading around?'_ Sable cracked his neck to stretch, before stuffing his hands into his pockets; and shrugged it off just as quickly. That didn't matter, and he wasn't gonna let that get in his way.

' _Now if only I knew where to go next._ '

" _Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."_ Sable heard the witch's voice, presumably over the PA, and smirked in satisfaction.

* * *

 _ **(BEACON CLIFF, 9:45 A.M.)**_

A breeze whistled below the cliff, and the wind felt easy on Sable's complexion. All the student's gathered one by one and were told to stand on platforms put above the ground, though the reason as to why eluded them.

Sable saw acquaintances like Ruby, Yang, Lilac and even Frey one their own grey platform looking ready and making small talk. Luckily, Sable only stood next to Frey's tile and so far there wasn't any unnecessary conversation and whatnot. They both seemed to share a look and simply nodded at each other in understanding.

'At least someone gets it…'

The cliff overlooked a forest, presumably where the initiation will take place, and spanned a large portion of the area that seemed immense. Standing in front of the students was a coffee mug-holding Ozpin, and 'Glynda the Witch' holding a tablet in one hand, Sable's attention on both Huntsman.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," Ozpin spoke first.

Sable smirked in anticipation and excitement. Finally, he would be able to let loose here!

'It's been way too long! This is the shit that gets me pumped for a Grimm beatdown! Now, this is what I'm talking about–"

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of "teams." Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today." Glynda continued before Sable could finish his thought.

Sable stood there wide-eyed and with a blank face. Bewildered. Did he hear her right? He muttered, "...what?"

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin continued the explanation.

Sable heard correctly...but his brow creased in confusion. He muttered a bit louder. "What?"

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years," Ozpin concluded the instructions and took a brief sip of his coffee.

Sable finally registered everything that Ozpin _just_ said.

Forming teams?

Teammates will be made today?

The first person you make eye contact with...will be your partner for the next four years!?

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Sable impulsively cursed out loud, throwing his hands in confused fury catching everybody off guard, especially Ruby. "Wait, w-wait, hold on a second! You can't be fucking serious!"

Ozpin looked to Sable's outburst, face still expressionless but features stern, he decided to humor him. "Is there a problem, Mr. Fenrisulven?"

"More than one!" Sable scowled and continued with his rant. "I wanted to think this talk of teams was just a bunch of horse crap–"

"Huh?" Lilac tilted his head at that sort of mention.

"–but now you're saying that we're gonna be paired up with _total strangers_?! You must be underestimating us!" Sable grit his teeth. "Why the hell does that matter anyway!? We're all training to be Huntsman, remember? I'm entirely capable of doing this on my own!"

Glynda glared at Sable and moved to scold the young Faunus before Ozpin held up a hand to signal that she needn't get involved.

Ozpin nodded intently to Sable's disagreements and sipped from his mug one more time before replying. " I don't doubt that, and you needn't think otherwise. I'm sure that all of you have the potential to grow strong and be great Huntsman." Ozpin raised his voice for the entire student to listen, and so he continued. "However, if you truly think that you can pass this initiation with no one but yourself...then pardon my bluntness but that is a foolish notion."

Sable raised an eyebrow, listening to Ozpin's speech."What the hell are you talking about?"

"Fenrisulven, I suspect that you assume that having to work with another may slow you down, be nothing but dead weight. However, the truth is that no matter how great your skills are individually," Ozpin's expression turned serious, and the tone that followed next was just as stern. "Cooperation and teamwork will always outclass an arrogant foe. Do you understand now?"

Sable widened his eyes at the shift in tone, and while he still disagreed with Ozpin he wasn't gonna get into a bigger argument with him. Sable stuffed his hands into his pockets and half-lid his eyes.

"Yes, professor…"

"Very well," Having finished that argument, Ozpin continued with the instructions.

Very simple instructions. Go to the northern end of the forest, possibly fight against Grimm that may get in the way, and an abandoned temple will hold the Relics they need to choose one. Afterward, they must return to the top of the cliff safe and sound, and then they will grade their standing and place in a team.

' _This is child's play.'_

Soon after Ozpin finished his speech, students on one end were sprung off by the platforms in which they stood into the forest. Sable prepared himself quickly after that, drawing Skol on one hand and preparing for take-off.

To his left, he could see Yang putting on a pair of aviators before being launched. Ruby soon followed after, and Jaune was the only one not prepared as he was tossed more than catapulted.

"W-well, not everybody is good with heights I guess," Frey said, who was on the platform next to Sable's.

"Yeah. Not gonna lie this is getting me excited though!" Sable grinned, ecstatic for the challenges ahead.

"I see. Well, don't get ahead of yourself," Frey twirled his own weapon, which resembled a long halberd, a sharp tip with an axe-like blade just beneath it. The pole itself looked customized with iron and steel, and a switch on the side that Sable noticed pretty quickly. "I might just beat you in this race."

Sable looked at Frey confused until he smirked and looked ahead of the forest.

A moment passed as he focused on his landing strategy, a deep breath to cool the nerves, the pounding heartbeat in his ears, a determined look in his crimson eyes…

"Not a chance."

...and he was catapulted off the cliff.

This was Sable's first step to becoming a Huntsman, and he was gonna blow it out of the park.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading today's chapter, I certainly hope you enjoyed it!**_

 _ **So, that POV of Lilac was my attempt at his point of view compared to Sable's, whom I continued to follow for the rest of the chapter. I wanted to experiment and show a different perspective and slight character development for someone who's going to be a recurring character.**_

 _ **That being said, meet the gentleman Atlesian: Frey Sapphire. I didn't have that many influences to drag-and-drop from any show, but I always saw him as a polite, determined, well-spoken, well-manner, and overall comically a gentleman all around. Still, he's also going to be important for the story.**_

 _ **Sadly, I may have skimmed some of the conversations in the locker room scenario, but I believed that at that point the scene felt better to showcase Sable's weapon, remind people that, yes, he is albino, and most importantly to establish his character in regards to the 'team' aspect of the story.**_

 _ **Also, while some scenes are pretty short, I don't feel like him butting into conversations works here narratively or character-wise. I can't really jam in conversations he doesn't wanna get involved in if it doesn't make sense for him to just insert himself in one.**_

 _ **With that said I, Maelstrom, hope to see you on the horizon for the next update!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Quarrel and Query

_**BOOM! Bet you didn't expect a chapter so soon did ya? Well, I was in such a RWBY mood with volume 7 going really nicely! I'm just having so much fun writing these chapters that I don't know if I may be able to stop even after this chapter!**_

 _ **Well, there is Christmas so maybe I have to rest a bit for family and all that.**_

 _ **Either Way, I'm feeling pretty great. The Emerald Forest is honestly the interesting part of Volume 1 for me, I try my best to make sure that I didn't take too long with each scene or the parts where it took 4 minutes in the actual show.**_

 _ **Anyway, another chapter for you! Enjoy it!**_

 _ **EDIT: I just did a few additions to the scenes, enjoy!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4:**_ ** _Emerald Initiation: Quarrel and Query_**

* * *

The wind hit hard as Sable's own velocity kept increasing as he began to go downwards to the acres of trees. The miles and miles of greenery spanned the entirety of what he could see, and the thrill he felt at being in the air was indescribable.

Nothing compared to the idea of finally letting loose and being able to let his sword do the talking.

With no time for distractions, he quickly maneuvered his entire body to aim for a line of branches that would break his fall, enveloping his entire body with an aspiring Huntsman's most dependable resource: his Aura.

Diving straight into the treetops, Sable used his blade and forward momentum to expertly slash his way through the branches and shrubbery that slowed his descent. He cleaved through a veritable sea of leaves and wood before finally approaching landfall, preparing his Aura accordingly to withstand the landing. He rolled out onto the ground and ended up in a tumble that soon turned into a forward skid on his boots. His dynamic entry into the initiation would start to come to an end once Sable thrust Skol into the ground, kicking up a geyser of grass and dirt before slowing down his momentum considerably.

After coming to a surprisingly tranquil stop, Sable smirked and stood up straight. He took notice of his surroundings, figuring that he landed a good ways away from the cliff. Taking a moment to hop on the soil below him, he took a few moments to stretch, bending one knee and extending the other. He rotated his shoulders, stretching for a bit and nodded once he was done.

 _'Alright…'_ Sable put a foot forward and sprinted off without a word as fast as he could through the forest. _'...what do I do about that partner nonsense?'_

Sable stewed over the words Ozpin shared back at the cliff. He never really expected something like that to be a part of Beacon or any Huntsman academy in general. Training alone with the old man in the woods with the goal of becoming a formidable _individual_ doesn't really benefit much from thoughts about partnership or any sort of cooperation with others.

' _Did the old man know about this? If he did then why the hell didn't he tell me!?'_ That question rang in his mind, and it puzzled him why he didn't say anything beforehand… he recalled the words the old man had shared when he left for Beacon yesterday.

* * *

' _ **Aye, you're a strong young lad. I couldn't be more proud, but you're just a lost boy who has no direction. What will you do once you become a Huntsman?'**_

* * *

Back then, those words seemed to be just some joke that the old man forgot to let him in on. Even now, Sable couldn't figure out what he was trying to tell him.

" _Ozpin's speech, maybe_?" He surmised internally. Any way he looked at it didn't make much sense, so as far as Sable was concerned; he was more than happy to go solo as a Huntsman.

Now all of a sudden he's expected to partner up? With a stranger no less! Sable shook his head, it didn't do anyone any good dwelling on things they can't control. He would just have to deal with it and adapt to the situation.

' _But with who? That's the most important question…'_ Sable wasn't sure where to begin. He didn't know many people all that well, and he'd rather not have a partner if he was being honest.

Sable started pondering over his potential options.

' _Maybe Ruby? She's got talent that's for sure, dealing with Grimm would be a cinch with her around.'_ Sable wondered for a moment, before frowning in thought. ' _Though she's probably as lost as I am when it comes to working with a team, and she's reckless for someone who doesn't have much experience.'_

' _There is Jaune...no, nevermind, out of the question.'_ Sable quickly dismissed the idea, he still hasn't forgiven him for that accident.

Besides, he could already tell. The guy's a wimp.

' _O-okay, nevermind that. Frey's a good option, he seems smart enough, dependable, and no slouch in combat from what I can see…'_ Sable smirked having found a good option, then his lips went flat when he realized one detail. ' _...but how would I deal with his constant explanations and rambling habit? Sounds annoying and tedious…'_ Sable mulled over his options and didn't really know who to pick.

On one hand, thre–two of them could hold themselves in a fight and most likely not get in his way. On the other hand; Ruby might make a stupid decision that puts her in harm, or Frey might attack out of turn and mess with Sable's flow and attack strategy.

If we're talking about getting along, Ruby and Frey were both close to actually being people he could handle. Though he really didn't know if they would be able to handle him and all of his...expressiveness. He isn't proud of it, but it's much easier to distance oneself than to get chummy with strangers.

Besides, once he becomes a Huntsman he probably won't see them again right?

His options were limited for sure, and he kept racking his brain to see who would make for a good partner. He was distracted enough to not notice a rather loud sound originating from high above in the treetops. It was a continuous crash that sounded similar to his earlier descent into the forest, but it was somewhat less focused and more...chaotic. Eventually, the chaotic crashing stopped altogether before a high-pitched yelp would break him out of his trance as some sort of heavy humanoid object would fly into him landing on Sable's back with a thud. He was thrown off his footing, the force of the impact causing him to tumble forward, rolling face-first into a tree trunk. He slumped over defeated into a nearby bush thereafter. If the bush Sable found himself in was a bit dryer the anger he felt at that moment would have been enough to set it ablaze.

"SON OF A MOTHER…" Sable cursed out as he stormed out the bushes and into the dust cloud that sat over the spot where he was rudely hit in the back. A small crater was formed where the unknown object landed, and with all the dust, it was hard for Sable to get a good look.

"Damn it, what the hell were you doing!?" Sable held his balled-up fist up in anger and took off his sunglasses briefly for a better look. "You know how much a tree to the face hurts!? About as much as my boot when it's stuck up your a-!"

Sable was confused, and he didn't believe what he was seeing right now. It was unthinkable, he really didn't expect him to come by! He already annoyed him a couple of times, and this time was no different…

The burgundy eyes blinked back at him, and the face they belonged to flash that dumb, stupid, obnoxious, smile.

Sable narrowed his eyes and his face contorted into a frustrated expression, gritting his teeth. ' _Nononononononono…you're joking.'_

Lilac cheerfully sprang up and landed, as he dusted off his cape and peaked hat, flicking his horsetail eagerly and giddy.

' _Of all the people...of all the people I had to make eye contact with…'_

Then putting his hands on his hips, he gave a salute to the now frustrated albino Faunus."Why hello there, my partner!"

Sable, unable to contain his frustrations and anger, finally let out a furious shout and threw his hands up. "WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU!?"

Lilac tilted his head innocently, feigning ignorance with a mischievous smile. "I don't know. Maybe today's your lucky day, and I couldn't agree more!"

 _'So this is actually happening...fuck.'_

Sable clenched his fists, before inhaling sharply and resuming his previous path, refusing to humor him further. Better than having a pointless argument with Lilac over something he can't control. Plus, with all the Grimm in the forest, it wouldn't be a good idea anyway.

Besides, he already told himself he wasn't gonna lose his shit, despite almost doing so earlier

"H-hey, where are you going? Don't you have anything to say?" Lilac asked, clearly expecting much more of a reaction from Sable.

' _It's alright…there's nothing I can do about it. Ozpin said whoever we make eye contact with is our partner… no use complaining'_ Sable took a couple of deep breaths and decided to just keep walking until he was ready. ' _Yeah...just keep walking.'_

He could have lost his shit and blown up in anger, but that would just render him a hypocrite,

* * *

' _Hmmm, curiouser and curiouser…'_

The initiation exam started off very curiously. Who'd have believed they would be simply catapulted off the cliff and expected to formulate a planning strategy? A simpleton would think this, but not Frey.

Hooking his weapon up to a pine tree and slowly but gently going down was a genius idea if he dares say so. Frey would even be so bold to say that he already has full marks. After all, back in Atlas, he was known to be an exceptional prodigy in the art of combat, many thought he'd be great in the military.

This is why people didn't take it kindly when someone like Frey Sapphire decided to leave Atlas to become a Huntsman.

He prepared for this, but he did worry over the small trivial things…mainly with his appearance.

The wind hits hard at the speeds Frey was going before. Between his ruffled hair and his costly glasses, he worried over the mess both would be in had his landing been rougher. Perhaps a twig could get stuck in his tousled crest of a hair, or a dreaded branch may hook the pair of glasses with meticulous timing?

' _Questions for later, I'll deal with that another time.'_ Frey put that worry in the corner of his mind and focused on making his way to the northern end of the forest by foot.

So far, Beacon didn't disappoint. From the presence, Ozpin had in the auditorium and the implications of this initiation, Frey found no disagreement or anything to complain about. It had all been professional, and insightful.

' _Truth be told, I figured many would be more...rowdy due to my presence, but I guess I was wrong.'_ Frey believed that his classmates would be lining up to ask questions about Atlas, about his high-class attire, or even about his family name. They are an influential market provider, only second to the Schnee Dust Company by a _wide_ margin, but none of them really look at him funny.

Frey felt no need to hide his family name, but he didn't draw any attention to being an Atlesian. That being said, he was surprised when Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the SDC, also participated in Beacon Academy. However, when she made every attempt to throw around her name to anybody, Frey couldn't resist shaking his head in disappointment.

' _Such a shame, she doesn't realize that it means little here…'_ Frey shook his head, and with that thought, he brushed it off and started focusing on the path ahead of him. Well, what could be considered a path in an area as wide and bountiful as the Emerald Forest? He had to go north, acquire the relic of his choice and make it back alive and in one piece.

If he were to ever get a partner, he'd certainly hoped they would be able to handle themselves in a battle. This means that increasing his chances of survival was his first priority, but before he could ponder on who to choose he would have to make sure he lived to tell the tale.

A snap was heard on the right side of Frey, and he drew his halberd **Villter Vegar** pointing it in the direction of the noise. Steady hands, and eyes squared on the direction and source of the noise; Frey didn't let his guard down as he listened. Silence, followed by a sharp shake of the bushes, coupled with a dark, deep feral growl…

...and a black monster lunged at Frey; responding quickly and rolling out of the way before he could be mauled.

The beast reacted and clawed at Frey's head, barely missing a scratch but didn't get much in.

Frey countered quickly with stabs, before parrying the monster's claws and knocking it up into the air, finishing it off with one last downward strike from the axe of the spear.

Frey took a moment to catch his breath from the sudden attack, and his eyes widened when he realized what he had just managed to avoid.

The monster's rough amalgamated shape of a hound on its hindlegs, bone pauldrons serving as it's natural armor to an unnatural abomination. The snout rough, it's teeth razor-sharp, and eyes glowing a bloodthirsty red and yellow. Frey knew what this monster was. A Beowulf…and it wasn't alone.

Soon, all-round him the Atlesian prodigy heard the same feral growling as more Beowulf sprawled out the trees and bushes, circling their prey with hungry eyes.

' _No, they aren't hungry…'_ Frey reminded himself. These monsters don't know the concept of hunger, only the feral drive to destroy and kill every living being in their sights. That's how these monsters work, these are what Huntsmen are trained to fight and protect humanity from...

 _...Grimm._

Frey straightened up and kept his guard up, darting his eyes to each Grimm that surrounded him.

The first Beowulf recklessly charged to Frey but missed it's swipe and was beheaded by an upward swipe from Frey.

The second followed soon after, smart enough to take the surprise attack, forcing Frey to block the lunge, skidding a foot back before hitting the switch on the side of the base and bringing out his weapon's rifle, shooting the Beowulf straight in the head with accuracy.

Three other Beowulf attempted to crowd the young scholar, but he managed to roll to the side away from them before they could get him. Not letting up, Frey took the initiative to take out two of them; one with a heavy upwards swing that launched the remains into the air and the other with a shot of his rifle leaving a gaping hole in the beast before it crumbled, while the third one tried to blindside him but failed as he merely sidestepped and let the Beowulf crash into two others.

Frey chuckled confidently. "It'll take much more than that to lay one finger on me…foul beast."

The Beowulf's roared their ungodly howl, and Frey prepared for one last attack. He had intended to lay the final strike and come out victorious, but before he could, he felt a shift in the air. He wasn't the only one to notice the whistle in the air either, as the Beowulf seemed puzzled, and confused as to the source of the noise.

Frey was just as bewildered, but then he noticed a glow from the bushes and blue shot of energy burst out of nowhere, aimed at the Beowulf's and only blasting one while the rest evaded it. Afterward, the Beowulf was turned into a crisp, leaving nothing but ashes.

' _W-what!? No! My final hurrah!'_ Frey mentally exclaimed, disappointed that the kill was stolen from him… but by who?

"Yeah! Get dunked on!" A crude voice came from the bushes and out walked in an interesting fellow, to say the least.

Hazel-skinned and crew cut his hair with lines in his sideburns; he wears a casual sleeveless shirt under his sweat jacket and camo-baggy-pants with cyan combat sneakers. His right and left arms, however, caught Frey's own interest and baffled eyes. They looked human, though something about the way they looked, with certain plating and...scars(?) that looked like they were painted rather than carved.

"W-wait a minute, w-what do you think you're doing?" Frey stammered, stopping his gawking and cleared his throat, feigning that his pride got in the way.

"Yo, it's alright. No need to get so anxious!" The ever grinning hazel-skinned man assured Frey with a strong pat on the back. "You mad that I stole your kill? What a riot!" He snickered loudly, with strong confidence in his voice.

Frey seemed taken aback with this man's attitude and forwardness, but he didn't get a chance to talk since the two Beowulfs who were left resurfaced again from the smoke and postured with a threatening roar.

"Alright specs, you had your fun. Now let me have mine!" He took a step in front of Frey and took a grounded stance, front foot forward and his arms in a fisted guard upfront.

"W-wait, you're not really going to fight Grimm unarmed are you!?" Frey asked incredulously, it didn't make any sense.

"You bet I am!" The hazel-skinned man pumped his fists in the air, his energetic vibes rubbing off on Frey's which he found himself smirking because of.

Immediately, the first Beowulf charged ahead with his bare fangs. The hazel-skinned leaned back to avoid the bite and lifted his right knee to strike the beasts lower jaw, disorienting it. He immediately ax kicked the Beowulf and followed with a sidekick to the abdomen, leaving it down and dazed.

The two Bewoulfs looked at their fallen brethren before looking to the hazel-skinned man, who gestured for them to give their shot, taunting them with a shit-eating grin.

The two Beowulfs followed to lunge, though they were both met with his hands gripping the top of their skulls and smashed their heads together. Finally, he swung his legs in many arcs, with each kick hitting each Beowulf consecutively until one was knocked up and into the ground on his back while the other one was finished with a brutal axe kick straight to the ground; crushing its skull.

Both monsters were left to dust, and Frey couldn't believe what he was seeing...this mad lad is winning without a weapon!

The one Beowulf that was left dazed, stood on its own hind legs but still struggling to get his footing, while the hazel-skinned man walked right up to the beast nonchalantly. Instantly, the man throws a flurry of punches and jabs that all land their mark to Beowulf's abdomen leaving a small bunch of holes riddled into it.

The beast, near death, growled weakly as it still stands to wait for its defeat. The young man holds his right hand with fingers pointing dead center to the beast's chest, and he yells out one last declaration.

" _You're done, yo!"_ He closes and thrusts his fist into the center, the pressure, and force launching the Beowulf into the tree, crashing and falling to dust. After that last elimination, the young man pumped his fists, and jumped in the air and cheered.

"Hell yeah! Get dunked on, boy!" He shouted, then turned to Frey with a friendly grin on his face.

"I suppose that's that," Frey agreed, offering a handshake with a smile. "I'm Frey Sapphire, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for giving me a hand earlier."

"Ah, it's nothin'! Just happy to help a classmate!" The Hazel-skinned man took the handshake with his right prosthetic arm, and the two of them started walking down the path side-by-side. "Da name's Ragnar! Ragnar Periwinkle!"

Frey looked at Ragnar curiously at the mention of his last name. "W-wait, Periwinkle? That's your last name?"

"Y-yeah, what of it?"

Frey hesitated to ask, but his curiosity dictated him to do so."Forgive me if this sounds rude but...um, is that _really_ your last name?"

Ragnar's energetic expression widened to flustered embarrassment, as he waved his hands in front to dismiss it. "Geez, I knew you were gonna ask. Yes, that is my real name! The name sounds girly I get it, but I am far from it!"

' _Oh, I do not doubt that_ …' Frey mentally noted, not wanting to pry any further into the matter. Ragnar didn't seem to be too offended, in fact, he seemed much more energetic and chipper to have someone to talk to.

Frey found his company refreshing, and his mind wandered to the first people he talked to when he arrived at Beacon: Sable and Lilac.

Sable had the appearance of crude, and abrasive individuals. His closed-off body language indicated that he didn't seem too comfortable meeting or _being forced_ to meet new people. Though he seemed to be a good person, after all, he stood up for the Faunus who was being picked on from earlier, but Frey stepped in earlier because he didn't want a fight to break out and decided to diffuse the situation himself.

Lilac was...eccentric. While his horse-tail gave away that he was a Faunus, he didn't seem to have the typical attitude he'd expect from a Faunus among humans. Those thoughts were dashed when his ecstatic and hyper demeanor took over the conversation, easing the tension in the air before and allowed for Sable to join in with no difficulty.

A smile crept up Frey's features as he reminisced, and adjusted his glasses with a look of determination in his eyes. ' _I'll keep my eye on those two, they seem interesting.'_

Having found a new partner for the trials ahead, he and Ragnar focused ahead to find the temple and pass the exam.

' _Though I do wonder…'_ Frey's eyes glanced down to Ragnar's arms and came to a question he would most likely wait and ask until after.

* * *

"The last pair has been formed, sir." Glynda's voice was heard by Ozpin, who has been listening and focusing intently on his own tablet.

"Truly a surprise, Frey's managed to get along with a rowdy one. I worry that enthusiasm might not last." Glynda sighed and shook her head, already predicting the trouble those two could get in.

Ozpin tapped his screen, and with that brought up two video feeds showing two different pairs: Ruby Rose and Weiss; Sable Fenrisulven and Lilac Sleipnir. Ozpin contemplated these choices of partners, odd and yet promising to see develop in the future.

"Although, those two will fare well compared to the delinquent Mr. Sleipnir has paired with." Glynda frowned as she examined the Faunus duo, with Lilac following behind and Sable trudging through the forest. His expression indicated that he didn't take this exam seriously, or more accurately, he didn't take teamwork as a key element to success seriously.

"Yes, I can see that Mr. Fenrisulven is less than...agreeable," Ozpin said as he turned to face Glynda with his neutral expression. "However, I'm sure he'll make a turnaround eventually."

"Well, for his sake I hope he pulls himself out of that mindset." Glynda reluctantly agreed though the frown remained on her face as she continued to examine each pair until falling on Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc. "Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos."

"I don't care what his transcripts say. That Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat." Glynda narrowed her eyes, and she wasn't wrong. The boy came to Beacon Academy and yet didn't show anything that his transcript said he could. Either he's just an unlucky boy, or the transcripts were...fabricated. Regardless, it was too late to deal with that. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Indeed," Ozpin replied succinctly, sipping from his coffee mug. "At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes."

"Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year?" Glynda asked, but she raised an eyebrow when she was met with silence from the headmaster. "Professor Ozpin?"

Ozpin was too focused, unfortunately. With contemplating interests he watched as Sable and Lilac made their way through the forest together, the albino Faunus didn't leave his partner behind; even if it seemed like he hated the company.

The horse Faunus, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself, his horsetail flicking eagerly with expectation. Though he wanted to see what this young boy who'd been 'homeschooled' could really do when under attack.

' _I wonder just how well you trained him…'_ Ozpin concentrated his gaze on Sable in particular. " _Tyr Auburn."_

* * *

The time passed since Lilac caught up with Sable, both Faunus's easily making their way to the northern end of the forest. The greenery seemed to be thicker than where they met, but it looked like they were making progress towards their destination. But they both knew their destination wasn't anywhere close, but so far they were lucky.

Not once did they get ambushed by any Grimm, not even once did they come across Grimm.

Gunshots could be heard off in the distance, Lilac and Sable reared their heads to the direction of the noise. Surprising nobody, this got Sable all in a huff just because he couldn't have his own fun.

Honestly, Lilac figured why. The big bad wolf looked so excited when he talked with Ruby about using their weapons, so it wasn't hard to put two-and-two together. The guy must be bored out of his mind, and on top of having a partner, he just walked away stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Now that's just rude.

" _I personally don't mind the calm walk!"_ Lilac silently giggled to himself, not giving Sable any mind and just following his new partner behind. Once again, however, he's just ignoring him all over again.

Lilac pouted childishly, crossing his arms indignantly. He thought Sable'd be happy to see his old fellow again, but instead, he's just walking away like a sourpuss! That's no fun at all, and honestly, he didn't understand why Sable wouldn't even talk.

All this time, he's been trying to get someone like him to crack at a joke or even open up a bit; but so far he's got zilch. Lilac just wanted to make this guy loosen up a bit, even if he has to keep hitting him with joke after joke!

 _'Alright...here's the old trick!'_

A loud yawn escaped from Lilac's mouth, and he hoped that would garner attention from his partner, but Sable merely ignored it looking ahead and still walking.

"I'm bored…" Lilac muttered out loud, eyeing Sable for any reaction. No response.

"I'm soooo bored…" Lilac said louder, drawing out each syllable to get Sable's reaction, still no response aside from faster and heavy footsteps.

Lilac grinned mischievously, and went with one last big yawn that Sable can't ignore! "Good GOSH I'm sooooo–"

"ALRIGHT I GET IT! YOU'RE BORED!" Sable pulled an about-face and shouted directly in Lilac's face, who merely stood there grinning ear-to-ear. He had succeeded, and now to seize the chance.

"Hey, why do you have to be so mean! You're yelling almost hurt an eardrum!" Lilac feigned annoyance, and also faked his ' _mad'_ face.

"What I wanna know is why the heck you had to crash into _me_ of all people! I didn't ask for this, and neither did I ask for your complaining! Now just shut up and keep walking!"

"Geez, I knew you were a hot-head but if this is how you treat your partner then I have nothing to say to you!" Lilac faked offense, turned his head from Sable with a pout on his face.

"What–you were the one who kept complaining about being bored!" Sable defended, annoyed by Lilac's antics.

' _Hehehe! This is too good!'_ Lilac gushed on the inside, his jokes and trickery having its effect on his partner.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be if you bothered talking to me." Lilac sarcastically said with a snide grin, though he gave an innocent look at Sable with a mischievous grin. "Besides, it's not you can just get rid of me anymore. We're partners, right? " This caused Sable to grit his teeth in, annoyance before he breathed deeply; signaling to Lilac that he conceded.

"Whatever," Sable growled and rubbed the back of his head. "We need to get a move on. We're still not even close to the ruins, let's just get there and head straight back. If we see any Grimm, stay back and let me handle it. You got that?"

Lilac giggled mischievously at Sable's response and nodded in agreement. They continued walking as if the argument never even happened, but Lilac was thinking of some things.

Lilac's a prankster, there's no denying that. From the first thing he could walk as a baby he always had a penchant for jokes, trickery, pranking, and even party tricks on one occasion!

The one thing he knows, however, is that he can sniff out a liar.

Lilac doesn't really know _how_ he knows who's a liar and who's not, it's similar to a sort of tingle up his spine that lets him know who's the real liar and who's telling the truth. Call it intuition, but whenever you have secrets to hide or aren't quite giving the whole story. Lilac will know you are, though he won't know _what_ exactly you're lying about all the time.

Sable seemed more irritable than usual, snapping at Lilac so quickly after only minutes of making eye contact. Lilac would have poked at him further, but that thought was brushed aside when he noticed two figures out the corner of his eye.

Seemed Sable saw it too because they both crouched down without a word. Lilac couldn't quite make out what it was, and neither could Sable as they squint their eyes to get a better look who was in the distance covered by oak trees and greenery obstructing their vision.

"So, partner...what do you think we should do?" Lilac asked first, causing Sable to flash a toothy grin.

"You put your butt here, I'm gonna jump them," Sable said already drawing **Skol** , unable to keep his excitement for action going.

' _Oh great! Now he's trigger happy!'_

Lilac chuckled nervously, trying to keep a positive outlook. "A-all yours, chum! Go get 'em! I'll cover you!" With that statement Lilac drew forth his darling weapons from his two waist-mounted holsters, twin bowie knives named **Surtr** and **Njord.**

Simple weapons sure, but they were Lilac's bread and butter. These babies were well maintained every single night, sharpened with a knife file, and the hilts were never messy and always polished. These knives were practically twins, sporting a purple and black stripes pattern on its hilt, while the other had white stripes instead of black.

If you looked closely, on **Surtr** there was a vivid crimson coloration along the knife's edge, while on Njord there was a cyan green shine to the blade. It was Dust, the exact same resource that makes the world of Remnant go round, is also a great addition to weaponry and combat use

Sable charged head-first, with Lilac a bit behind as he ran quickly to catch up to Sable, though he could go faster if he _actually tried_. Lilac's view came clearer and realized that the two figures were human, and students apparently. In fact, he recognized them both.

"That's Jauney boy and the red-head Pyrrha Nikos!" Lilac flashed an excited smile, finally some new people he didn't expect to meet on this trip to the forest! He opened his mouth to tell Sable but the albino Faunus lunged before he could tell him.

Lilac stuck in his heels before he attacked bringing himself to skidding stop but Sable, already in mid-air, was unable to halt his attack. By the time he realized his error he was already tumbling head-first into the helpless young blonde's midsection.

Pyrrha was caught off guard with this sudden 'ambush' but despite her shock retained enough composure to draw her weapon. Though she quickly put it down when she saw Lilac standing in front of her, absolutely giddy and ecstatic as all hell.

Lilac giggled with excitement, his horsetail flicking with a mix of nervousness and excitement over meeting a national champion, and introduced himself quickly with a handshake to Pyrrha.

"H-hi, h-hello! I'm Lilac Sleipnir, sorry about my friend over there–" Lilac pointed to Sable, who was knocked out cold, on the ground sprawled over Jaune... who was also knocked out cold. "He was just itching for a fight with a Grimm and we didn't know it was you and Jauney over here so I'm really sorry 'bout that–"

"I-its okay! It is okay, don't worry about it." Pyrrha held up her hands to assure the horse Faunus and gave him a comforting smile. She turned to check on Jaune and noticed that both Jaune and the albino Faunus just woke from their knockout in a daze and moved to Jaune with concern. "Jaune, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, just peachy right over here." Jaune groaned out, managing to stand but looking like he got hit by a truck as he put an arm over Pyrrha's shoulder. "Any harder, and I would have been dead for sure…"

"With how wimpy ya' looked… I thought you would have." Sable replied, looking a little less worse for wear than Jaune but still recovering from that blunder of an attack. "Hey, remember me?"

Jaune seemed to flinch a little bit, though not out of fear. "O-oh yeah, it's you. S-Sable right?"

"Who else do you think I am, you wimp? I'm the one who's going to become a Huntsman, same as you and invincible girl here…speaking of which," Sable turned his eyes to Pyrrha, who put on a smile but Lilac could tell that she was just being polite as she usually does. "Pyrrha Nikos, Mistralian champion and renowned for your skills in combat right?"

"Yes, that's what they say," Pyrrha replied courteously and offered a handshake that Sable took with a strong grip. "It's nice to meet you, Sable, is that right?"

"And don't you forget it." Sable finished with a grin, Lilac could tell how competitive Sable was and where this was going. You know, 'I challenge you to a duel' and all that jazz, but Lilac was just happy that Sable initiated a conversation even though he ended it just as quickly. He decided to step in and clear the air a bit.

"Don't worry if he's a little 'ruff' around the edges, the guy's just really conscious about his image ya know?" Lilac joked, earning a face-palm and deep groan from Sable that might as well as ooze his displeasure. While he'd get a courteous laugh from Pyrrha, and a louder-than-intended snicker from Jaune.

"Will be sure to keep that in mind. Now, since the four of us managed to cross paths with each other by accident–"

"You sure that was an accident?" Jaune piped up, pointing a finger at Sable.

"Shut up," Sable growled, prompting Jaune to recoil a bit.

Pyrrha coughed, getting Sable and Jaune's attention for interrupting. "I was thinking maybe you'd want to... team up until we reach the ruins?"

"What!?" Jaune and Sable exclaimed at the same time, clearly they didn't agree with that idea.

Lilac grinned, he couldn't help it with Sable and Jaune's reacting in unison. Deciding to agree with Pyrrha's idea, he went along with it and did his usual gimmick.

Just one last time.

" _Let's see what you say next, friend!"_

"Well, I think that's a wonderful idea!" Lilac exclaimed, throwing his arms up for emphasis. His visible jubilation would become something less innocent as he began to pace back and forth wringing his hands together mischievously. "Some bonding time, the four of us get our relics, plus they say teamwork makes the dream work, right partner!"

"Wait, I think that's stretching that a little bit! We're not going to be a team just yet!" Sable groaned.

"Oh, geez…" Jaune moaned.

"I'm glad you think so! If all things go well, we might get on the same team together." Pyrrha agreed wholeheartedly, her tone much chipper than earlier.

"Like hell, I will! Are you two even listening to me?" Sable growled, louder.

"U-uh Pyrrha…" Jaune whined, louder.

Lilac grinned even wider, and finally decided to nail it in the head…

"Imagine that! Teammates, for four-long years in Beacon! Best. Friends. Forever!" Lilac drew out that sentence as long as he could before he burst out in laughter, while Pyrrha chuckled sweetly, blissfully ignorant of Sable's and Jaune's own misery.

"OUM-FUCKING-DAMMIT!" Sable fell to his knees, his hands on the ground in defeat!

"Why does this happen to me..." Jaune fainted to his back, his face blanched with horror at the thought of _Sable_ being his new teammate.

* * *

Right now, the two students nearly made their way to the ruins from what Frey could deduce. The greenery was getting more sparse, and the path more direct and trodden, they figured that other student's must-have arrived first. Frey and Ragnar seemed to have hit it off, though Ragnar kept hitting Frey with every question he could think of and Frey patiently answered each question.

"So, Atlesian eh? That's fancy." Ragnar began nonchalantly, with his arms behind his head.

"We're known to be such they say." Frey nodded and gave a kind smile.

"Funny, I lived in Mantle and I've heard the big-shots in Atlas are pish-posh and all that crap. Instead, you look dorkier than I thought you would."

Frey adjusted his glasses and put one hand on his hip, explaining to Ragnar with a lecturing tone. "Well, don't let appearances fool you. What if I thought you were just another ruffian?"

"Damn, touché my dorky friend," Ragnar smirked in agreement, though he was lax and nonchalant about the conversation with Frey chuckling nervously.

' _He's certainly...forward.'_ Frey chuckled at his urban-speaking partner, though he truly needed to do something about his profanity...

Frey certainly didn't expect his partner to be so...talkative, but he didn't mind the questions; even if they were about his kingdom of birth and tended to be somewhat...ignorant. Not of his own fault, however. Ragnar has said it was all curiosity before and Frey understood enough to oblige.

"I hope you don't mind all these questions dude, just never meant an Atlesian before." Ragnar politely said, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous chuckle.

"Not a problem, in fact, I'm glad you asked." Frey chuckled before his face turned to a sad frown. "Better than to gawk at and judge people, which I wish most of my colleagues back in Atlas would understand."

"Oh yeah, some Atlesian's don't really like Faunus' much do they?" Ragnar clicked his teeth in annoyance at the notion. "You ask me? I say they need to get over it, Faunus's are people just as much as we are."

"Indeed, though the White Fang certainly doesn't make alleviating tensions any easier, I tell you, Ragnar, we humans can be just as cruel as they can be." Frey pointedly replied, prompting a hard nod from Ragnar who agreed.

"Preach." Ragnar agreed, though his eyes widened and his grin larger when he looked ahead. "Ha, Aw Hell yeah! We made it, look over there!"

Frey looked to where Ragnar was pointing, and a determined smile formed. They finally made it to the ruins, and they still had pieces they could choose.

"Oh hey! Looks like we got company!" A voice called out in interest and surprise, belonging to a blond-haired lady, with lilac-colored eyes.

"Well, of course. Still, impressive." The second voice was more composed and mature. This one belonged to a raven-haired lady with a striking bow that she wore on her head. She wore a black buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front. Underneath this is a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and white shorts with a zipper on the front of each leg.

The two seemed like they arrived fairly recently, and the blond held a...chess piece of a Knight in her hand?

' _Questions for after introductions.'_ Frey decided and turned to the two ladies. Though Ragnar went up and walked to the blonde one first, Frey decided to introduce himself after Ragnar.

"Well, hello! I guess we got beat huh? Bummer." Ragnar said, disappointed that he and Frey weren't the first to make it to the ruins. "Guess that plans out the window, but hey! I get to meet a nice lady like you!"

"Well, I am trying to be a student here so that shouldn't be a surprise!" Yang replied though she chuckled at Ragnar's straight forward attempt at a compliment… she guessed. She offered a handshake to him. "But I'm getting ahead of myself, the name's Yang!"

"I'm Blake, nice to meet you." Blake introduced herself, with a small indistinguishable smile on her face.

"Ragnar's the name, and beats are my game!" Ragnar energetically claimed, went to shake Yang's hand and with a pop, one of his arms...was pulled out!?

Save for Ragnar who obviously knows what they are, Yang, Blake, and Frey were caught off guard and were absolutely shocked!

Yang looked down at the robotic prosthetic she held in her hand and immediately yelped in surprise before blindly tossing the detached arm only to be deftly caught by Ragnar's other prosthetic arm. "W-w-w-wha-what was that!?"

"Oh, my bad, girl. Sometimes it does that." Ragnar nonchalantly explained, readjusting his prosthetic with one last firm push and it was back in place. "There! Problem solved!" Ragnar grinned as if this was the most normal thing in the world to have.

Frey was already baffled beyond words, but his eyes widened even more once he figured out what this was. The young man has prosthetics for arms, and evidently, they also functioned as his weapons.

' _Technology like that isn't something you just buy in Mantle! How did he get two of those?'_

Ragnar took notice of Frey, Yang and Blake's pale faces, and sighed as he held his hands to calm them down. "Look, I know this must be weird and I'm sure you must have lots of questions but maybe they can wait until _after_ we finish this exam?"

"Huh? O-oh yes! Yes, exactly!" Frey stuttered to salvage the situation, same with Yang and Blake who were still a little surprised to see development like this.

"R-right! Sorry bout' that." Yang recovered from her stupor and apologized equally as quickly.

"Yo lady, it's cool. I get that kind of reaction _all_ the time." Ragnar reassured, his grin still wide and his arms folded. "By now, It's actually pretty funny."

With that shocking accident out of the way, Frey walked up to one of the pedestals where the relics were placed, chess pieces as they were. There was a gold Knight, two black Rooks, two white King's, arranged in a circular alignment surrounding some sort of strange stone carving.

' _So, we can just choose one of our choices?'_

"Yo, Frey! Whatcha' gonna pick?" Ragnar walked up to Frey with a dumb grin on his face, akin to model collector deciding what new figurine to get. "I say pick the king, 'cause he's always on top!"

"Hmmm, I don't think it really matters what we pick right now." Frey stroked his chin in thought, deciding whether to pick the Rook piece or the King piece specifically. After a moment of thinking; Frey decided and chose the white King, much to Ragnar's satisfaction and delight. "I suppose we could both be at the top for now."

"Well, that was easy! Not too hard at all!" Ragnar exclaimed with a smile.

"Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find." Blake shared a smile with the group of four, and Frey couldn't help but agree more.

' _She's right about that...it shouldn't be long before he arrives with his partner.'_ Frey wondered, thinking about Sable's challenge to a race from before. ' _I wonder where he is right now?'_

* * *

Now, Sable, Lilac, Pyrrha, and Jaune were in an ominous cave that hey had found while they, unfortunately, choose to "team-up" as that stupid little midget phrased it. The cave was dark, damp and cold, and their footfalls squelched loudly with every step they took on the wet floor. Without a doubt, their arrival and continued exploration could be heard by anything and everything living in the cave with functioning ears. Sable had come to the conclusion that it was definitely a great place to die horribly as a _team_.

It certainly didn't help that Jaune decided to play the hero and took the single torch they had and moved to the front of the group like he was the leader or something. Sable was beside himself in disbelief as the guy leading them forward was the same wimp who begged not to get punched in the face yesterday!

Even worse than that, they didn't know where the cave leads to, but something told Sable that they were completely lost. If they were lost that meant they didn't know where the relics were, which meant that they were wasting time!

"Ugh, this blows." Sable groaned out, puddles in the ground indicative of poor footing. The tunnel itself was modestly wide but it quickly became cramped with the four of them huddling together. The experience somehow became more uncomfortable than it already was.

"I know I said teaming up was a great idea, but I think we might have taken a wrong turn." Lilac nervously chuckled, trying to ease the tension and anticipation in the air.

"I have to agree, Jaune, I'm not sure this is it." Pyrrha reluctantly agreed, unsure of their whereabouts and she was realizing that they were lost.

Jaune sighed indignantly. "Guys, I made the torch. Could you at least humor me for, like, five more feet?"

"You did not make the torch. Lilac made it then you just took it and made yourself the leader." Sable pointed out, his irritation coming through as clear as a bell. "I don't think you could go for more than 5 feet with the torch let alone without it before tripping over."

"Okay, when are you going to quit giving me a hard time?" Jaune asked exasperated with Sable's tone and attitude.

Of course, he wasn't wrong because shortly after 2 steps Jaune _somehow_ tripped and dropped the torch into a puddle of water!

' _Great, now it's damp, cold, AND pitch-black!'_

"W-wait. Do you...feel that?" Pyrrha hesitates in asking.

"Soul-crushing regret?" Jaune said.

"Headache-inducing stupidity?' Sable retorted.

"Wide-smiling rainbows?" Lilac chirped in glee, raising eyebrows from both Sable and Jaune.

"No, it's... warm." Pyrrha wasn't wrong, the group saw a faint orange glow in front of them. Sable didn't quite understand if this was the relic but the group walked closer to it as if drawn to it. Soon it revealed itself to be a large glowing point of gold right in front of them, illuminating Jaune's excited features

"That's the relic!" Jaune exclaimed, slowly reaching out to grab the gold point before it moved away from his swipe. "Hey! Bad...relic!" Jaune tries to grasp it, jumps forward and hangs onto it as the object raises him up off his feet.

"Oooh! I want in on this ride!" Lilac chimed in excited, as he also jumped forward and grabbed the golden point with much more vigor than any of them…but something felt wrong.

Sable stepped back, realizing something was off as he called out, "Lilac, I think you may want to let go of that right now!"

"Aw come on! But it's so much fun!" Lilac whined his displeasure, but Pyrrha looked just as worried as Sable and noticed something was _terribly_ wrong.

"Jaune…?" Worry clearly audible in her voice, and the unassuming catch known as Jaune Arc was lowered so as to dangle before luminescent red lines…and a set of eight similarly glowing ghostly yellow eyes.

' _Oh...'_ Sable stepped back again, the full face of the beast they just woke up in plain view...and was actually getting both nervous and excited.

' _...Shit!'_

* * *

 _ **Except, I'm going to take a week's break from doing another chapter so that I can plan out the next chapter right and not lose track of what I have done.**_

 _ **Anyway, now you finally meet the fourth member: Ragnar Periwinkle...yes that's his full name and it's a secret as to why for now. Now I imagined him to be the sort of urban street-punk with a heart of gold. I hope you liked the character for what little I have shown here.**_

 _ **Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as I have enjoyed writing it! I feel pretty good right now, but don't expect these updates to be frequent. I just had a sudden drive to write the next chapter and I couldn't help myself. Who knows how long it will last, but I can assure you that the next chapter will be the end of the Emerald Forest arc and be a huge fight scene for Team SLFR!**_

 _ **Anyway, this has been the Maelstrom, and I hope to see you on the horizon!**_


	5. Chapter 5: Ruins and Spiders

_**Hey! It is I the Maelstrom and…*deep breath* It's been three long months since the last post.**_ _**I would like to assure you that I haven't forgotten about this story or even this account. College has been much more difficult as of late and since Spring Term kicks my ass a lot, I haven't had enough time to write the chapter as fast as I want to.**_

 _ **HOWEVER… This is by far my longest chapter ever written for the SLFR story, and I managed to churn out enough to make up for the last three months of absence!**_

 _ **Aside from that, there's not much else to say except…**_

 _ **Enjoy the Chapter!**_

 _ **BN: Since Maelstrom didn't explicitly say this I'm going to introduce myself unless this gets cut before post. I'm Void and I'll be the Beta for the story, oh you should also check out m- *gets smothered by an unknown figure for attempting a shameless plugin***_

 _ ***ahem* Enough of that, but yeah, I'm glad to be here helping out. So if ya see any mistakes you can yell at me ya smelly bastards! I'm just kidding,**_ _ **I make no mistakes, for I am perfect…**_ _**But yeah, I'll be the one taking the blame for that stuff. See ya! Void Out!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own this series. RWBY is owned by RoosterTeeth, and all associated with it. Please support the official release.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 5: Ruins and Spiders**_

* * *

 _ **(Emerald Forest)**_

' _Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit, SHIT!'_ A nervous cursing fit rang throughout Sable's mind; brought on by a massive surge of adrenaline. Though his reflexive outburst betrayed how ecstatic he really was at the thought of facing the creature that was chasing them.

The dumb grin on his face showed his true excitement, his desire to fight.

Sprinting in a closed, and rather narrow, the cave wasn't pleasant nor comfortable, but with the situation he was in, his life depended on it.

With the shrill throes of Jaune's feminine cries echoing throughout the tunnel behind them, Sable and Pyrrha ran out to be greeted with a burst of fresh air and sunlight, but unfortunately, they had no time to rest.

He turned just in time to witness the monster burst out from within the large mound of earth, scattering dirt and dust everywhere. However, this soon cleared, revealing the beast for all to see.

As opposed to most Grimm, which sported dense black fur as part of their structure, the creature instead donned a jet-black bony exoskeleton.

Its protective armor: large, ivory, bonelike plates upon its back, adorned with red markings that gave it a striking resemblance to that of a scorpion.

' _I think I remember this one… it's a Deathstalker!'_

It was gigantic and larger than any Grimm Sable thought he would have to face during this exam. Had he not been so surprised by the beast's sudden attack, he would've shoved his sword, Skol, straight into its skull.

Jaune struggled to hold on to the beast's stinger out of fear for his own life, as compared to Lilac… who, strangely enough, seemed to be enjoying this near-death experience.

"Oum-dammit Lilac, get off of that stinger right now!" Sable called out to the horse Faunus, who was dangling from the stinger's tip.

The surprise on his face was evident when he saw Lilac letting go of Jaune with a smile on his face.

The horse Faunus acrobatically danced around the Grimm's pincers with an extreme skill. Avoiding attacks as he sprinted to Sable and Pyrrha with an excited yet nervous look on his face. Though the trembling and shivering from Lilac's color-drained face hinted at something unpleasant crawling through his mind.

"Woah! That was fast!" Sable exclaimed loudly with a surprised expression apparent on his face.

"That was… deathly terrifying, yet exciting!" Lilac said in awestruck wonder, panting as adrenaline pumped through his veins. He turned back to see Jaune swinging around wildly as he held onto the stinger of the beast. "Not for him though…"

"You think!?" Jaune desperately held onto the stinger, practically sobbing in abject horror.

He was treading on the thin line between surviving this near-death experience and dying on the first day of initiation; it was mortifying, to say the least.

The sight of the wailing blonde that hung before the three young students was… Pathetic, in Sable's words.

Not because he was holding on for dear life, that was understandable. It was pathetic because Sable, for all his small jabs at Jaune, expected a little more effort from the blonde in getting away. Even Lilac managed to do something as simple as that, and he's the childish one.

"Help! Whoa-ah-ah-ah-ah! Why?! Guys! He-e-e-elp!" Jaune screamed in panic, almost crying, his desperate fight for dear life beginning to look bleak.

"Damn it! Jaune, just hang in there for a sec'!" Sable yelled, warning him in advance, as he made sure to keep his distance from the massive Deathstalker.

"Jaune! Whatever you do, don't let–" She called out, but before Pyrrha could finish, the Grimm reared its tail back before snapping forward. Launching the still-screaming Jaune across the forest as the rest of the group watched in dismay.

"Welp… I hate to be the one to say it but… it looks like he's blasting off again." Lilac grinned, chuckling at his attempt to lighten up the mood.

Pyrrha turned to Lilac with a questioning look, frowning as she asked. "I'm not sure if you're joking or not."

Sable scowled softly as he shook his head, annoyed by Lilac's joke… but he was sure that Jaune would be fine, mostly due to the fact that the blonde had been on a lucky streak for a while now.

Being launched by a Grimm was the best thing a wimp like Jaune could get. Besides, it offered Sable another opportunity to do what he had been hoping to do this entire time, fight.

His eyes glowed with a bloodlust fueled flame as he trailed his hand to the holster at his hip and smirked.

Lilac, still slightly frantic, chuckled nervously before asking, "O-okay, question one… What do we do now?" His wary gaze then turned to the weapon at Sable's hip and pointed to him tentatively, "Question 2… what are _you_ planning to do?"

The albino wolf Faunus gazed at Lilac and Pyrrha for a brief moment before drawing his revolver, Hati, and flashing a toothy grin filled with excitement. "What does it look like? I'm going to shoot it of course!"

"What? You can't be serious!" Pyrrha exclaimed, clearly opposed to the idea. A flash of surprise crossed Sable's irritated face as she continued. "We need to run away from it, and get out of this alive!"

"Run away? It's just one giant bug! I'm sure that I can handle it alone!" Sable refuted, clearly against the idea of running away like a coward. "I haven't killed a single Grimm since I landed! I need to blow off some steam!"

How could he not? Truth be told, Sable was expecting to finally let loose and take down a couple of Grimm and get the relic; even if he has to be partnered up with the annoying pony… but he'll be damned if he doesn't fight this giant bug and prove that he _can_ take it down!

Despite Pyrrha's best attempts, Sable ran with Skol drawn towards the large pincers of the scorpion. The massive claws snapped at him aggressively as he revved up his weapon and countered the pincer strikes.

The sword put a good dent into the bone plates, but unsurprisingly, it dealt no actual damage. Showing just how difficult it would be to pierce the armor.

The monster reared one of its pincers back in an attempt to slam Sable away. But before it could strike, the wolf Faunus pulled out Hati and aimed for one of the Deathstalker's many eyes; quickly loading a fire Dust cartridge before pulling the trigger.

The revolver had a strong recoil, but he stood his ground as he fired. His aim was strong and true; a loud boom echoed throughout the forest as a burst of smoke and fire enveloped the scorpion, causing it to screech loudly in pain.

' _Yippee-ki-yay–'_ Sable thought, unable to restrain a toothy grin from spreading across his face; immediately pumping his fist in the air as he cheered. He was excited, after all, he proved he wasn't weak.

The smoke cleared, and unfortunately, the Death Stalker's armor wasn't anywhere near broken except for a few burn marks around its face. "-Motherfucker!"

' _Now this is just getting annoying!'_ Sable thought as his scowl deepened, quickly turning foul. Just what was this damned thing made of?

The Deathstalker's ear-grating screech was enough to intimidate Lilac and Pyrrha, but Sable merely grit his teeth in determination. There was no way he was going to let some stupid bug get the better of him! He couldn't let it! Not after how far he's gone!

"Sable, get away! You're clearly not hurting it!" Pyrrha called out to the albino Faunus; quickly drawing her own weapon. Stepping back cautiously; she was ready to flee at the first opportunity with her classmates. "We need to find the relic!"

"Good idea there, then why don't you go get _your_ relic while I deal with _this_ ugly bastard!?" Sable yelled out in frustration, glaring through his shaded goggles.

He didn't really disagree with Pyrrha's idea. In fact, it was a great idea to go and get the relic. The thing is, they couldn't do that if they had a Grimm on their tail. Sable was going to be the one to slay this Grimm and he wasn't going to budge. He turned to Lilac, who was practically glaring at him. "W-what's up with you, huh?

"Okay Sable, as much as I like the enthusiasm," Lilac said with a sigh, grabbing his free wrist and forcefully pulling him away from the Deathstalker. "When the nice lady says we gotta go, we gotta go! So let's get going!"

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing!?" Sable cursed loudly in protest, though his complaints were simply ignored as the group of three ran for their lives from the Death Stalker.

* * *

 _ **(Emerald Forest, Relic Ruins)**_

For the brief moment that they had spent here in the Emerald Forest, Frey had counted himself lucky as he rubbed his glasses clean.

His partner was a chatterbox, but surprisingly easy-going. He didn't seem put off by Frey's presence as an Atlesian, which was always a plus. After all, with their constantly worsening reputation, he was a little nervous about it.

Still, hiding information about himself, especially from a teammate, left a sick feeling in Frey's gut.

' _I don't know whether I should tell him…'_ Frey had been struggling with that question all day yesterday. And he still was, right now he was deciding whether he should tell Ragnar about his family or not.

It was an important detail about him, but he was afraid of telling him because it would seem misplaced and he didn't want people to see him for his name. There was a reason why he didn't draw attention to his family when people asked about where he came from.

Regardless of those thoughts, he couldn't shake away the small prideful smile on his well-sculpted face.

Frey was feeling proud of himself. Why wouldn't he be? It's healthy to give yourself some credit, every now and then at least, nothing wrong with that.

He and Ragnar—who met each other on a good note, had fought many Grimm together with ease, and finally reached their destination as well as gaining the relics that they needed, on top of meeting other students—have effectively achieved their objective.

Now all they needed to do was find a way to return back to Beacon Cliff and show the professor their relics. Allowing them acceptance into the halls of Remnant's most renowned academy, where they could bask in the honor of being a future Huntsman.

However, before any of that could be done; a loud feminine shriek distracted him, as well as the others around him. One which Frey distinctly picked up on.

As a scholar and a gentleman, Frey prided himself on hearing the distressed call of a maiden in need; though he isn't one to assume that of every lady he meets. He is always ready to be the polite one that they would need.

But the girl's scream seemed… off. It was a scream of fear, there was no doubt about that. It was just that the tone seemed deceptive, at least as far as Frey could deduce.

"Yikes! That doesn't sound good!" The crew-cut, hazel-skinned man said, not sounding amused but rather serious instead.

"Some girl's in trouble!" Yang assumed as she turned to Blake, who the two male students noticed wasn't paying attention, and asked. "Hey, did you hear that?"

After Yang's comment, Frey picked up a second noise. It was faint, but it was approaching at a surprising rate. From where it was coming from, Frey didn't know.

The Atlesian just happened to look up and at that moment… his inquisitive gaze quickly turned into one of disbelief as he could make out a young girl in a black dress with a red cloak!

"Heads uuuuuuuup!" She yelled as she flailed her arms in a panic, desperately screaming as if she didn't know what else to do. Time seemed to slow down as a second figure came flying through the air; crashing into the poor girl, knocking her off course and sending them both into a tree.

"Oh, dear…" Frey muttered in disbelief and concern, unsure of whether they were safe or not.

Blake looked at the tree in question, and with a thin but curious expression on her face as she turned to Yang. "Did your sister just fall from the sky?"

Yang scratched the back of her head awkwardly, just as confused, "I…"

"Wait, you have a sister?" Ragnar asked as he tilted his head at the question.

Before any of them could linger, crashing trees and snapping branches could be heard from the forest. Immediately, the four students readied their weapons, but what came next completely caught them off guard.

An Ursa, a creature of Grimm reminiscent of a big black bear, came leaping out from the forest. Swiping at the air wildly with a loud primal roar.

"I got it!" Ragnar yelled out as he held his right robotic palm forward, an orb of cyan energy gathering in the center of his hand. Firing the beam of energy at the Ursa's head, he vaporized it immediately. What he didn't expect was for another head to come out from where it previously stood, one belonging to… an orange-haired girl?

"Whoa, Whoa, WHOA!" The new girl yelled as she was sent tumbling forward as the corpse keeled over onto its belly, slowly but surely fading to dust. The girl in question quickly recovered from her fall and turned to the group with a pout on her face and hands on her hips. "Hey! You broke my ride!"

She wore a white sleeveless top that forms a tiny heart shape cut out over her chest, with a white detached sleeve on each arm. She wore matching fingerless gloves on each hand. She sported a short pink skirt that started at the waist and ended mid-thigh. Her shoes were a mix of pink and white with pink laces.

"What are you talking about? I just did what anybody would have done: shoot the Grimm down!" Ragnar exclaimed, confused as to why she would even consider a Grimm a ride.

"To be fair, he does have a point." Frey sighed, nodding in agreement, why did she think of riding a Grimm in the first place?

"Nora!" Another shifting of the leaves and walked in another student, this time a male. He panted and leaned on his knees in exhaustion, looking like he had just run several miles without a break.

The boy wore a dark green, diagonally buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming went down the right side of his torso and formed a thick black collar. He had long hair, with a ponytail at the end and a small magenta highlight in his bangs. "Please... don't ever do that again."

"Pardon me, but she already left…" Frey told him hesitantly, mostly due to the fact that he didn't know how to explain how the girl, now named Nora, went from one position to another almost instantly. He pointed back to the mosaic circle of relics where Nora was eyeing one of the pieces, a golden rook, in awestruck wonder. With that, the magenta-eyed boy left towards her direction calling out her name.

Meanwhile, Ragnar, Yang, and Blake were left impressed and dumbfounded at the same time as Blake asked, "Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?"

"The fact that she even _did_ ride a Grimm is freaking whack…" Ragnar muttered as he rubbed the side of his head.

Frey opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by an ungodly screech coming from a direction away from the group.

There, three _more_ people from the trees… along with a _Death Stalker_ uprooting the tree in its chase. Frey recognized the redhead with green emerald eyes as Pyrrha Nikos, but his eyes quickly locked onto the other two.

He recognized the shortest one dragging the tallest among the three by the wrist, and his eyes widened in shock. They saw him and their eyes widened just the same.

"Frey!" Sable called out.

"Sable!? Lilac!?" Frey exclaimed as he didn't know what more to say. A DeathStalker on their tail was already surprising, but what was really shocking was the Faunus pair themselves.

Sable and Lilac partnering up was a surprise nobody would have expected.

"Pyrrha!" The voice came from the top of the tree where the red-hooded girl and the blonde man sat.

"Jaune! Just hang in there, okay?" Pyrrha, who was still running from the Death Stalker, called out in response.

"I'm trying!" Jaune yelled out in a plea, causing Frey to shake his head with a sigh.

What a role reversal this was.

Soon, the red-hooded girl leaped off of the tree's branches and landed in a roll. Frey watched as Yang herself was the first to run ahead with her arms raised for a hug, and then Ruby raised in kind.

However, the reunion was cut off by the bombastic Nora who jumped in, wanting to join in on the game.

' _What an odd bunch...'_ Frey thought to himself, chuckling nervously. If these were his soon to be classmates he'd certainly have to be mindful of their… less than agreeable attitude.

"Did they just–" Blake stopped mid-way, mindful of asking an already answered question. "Never mind."

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" Ragnar said in amusement, though Frey gave him a scolding gaze causing him to chuckle nervously–

"Can we have two seconds of peace PLEASE!? I barely have time to take in anything!"

Yang shouted, her temper blowing up at the crazy turn of events.

Everybody stopped dead in their tracks, although Ruby was painfully aware of her shouting, she wasn't fazed in the slightest. Frey was taken aback by the sudden outburst, while Ragnar looked at her with a straight face.

Frey refrained from voicing his displeasure at her rudeness, aware that at this moment it wasn't the worst thing. The shouting was unnecessary, there was no doubt about that, but with the buffoonery that occurred perhaps, she has some reason to… little as it was. Seconds passed to recover from the silliness, then he looked up to the sky and gaped in disbelief.

"Everyone, look!" Frey pointed upwards. Everybody looked up just as he had told them to, and much to their dismay they were treated with something worse than they could have imagined.

Ragnar was out of quips for once. "Holy…"

"...crow." Yang finished.

' _Quite literally.'_ Frey thought, unable to disagree.

The monster resembled an avian creature; except for the fact that it was as large as the airship which carried the students to Beacon, if not more so.

With ink-black feathers and sharp talons that could carve into flesh with ease, it's intimidating presence lingered over them. It circled above the students with a hateful gaze, waiting for the right moment to strike. Its matte black beak was both long and wide enough to eat any of them like grub, the Grimm known as a Nevermore loomed over the students.

Frey blanched at the current state of things, furrowing his brow with a crease of frustration. There were two large Grimm that could severely injure them at the _least_ … and slaughter them at the worst.

There wasn't anything else that could go wrong…

Then he saw _her,_ and, for lack of a better word, he shouted incredulously, breaking his calm persona. "WHAT ON REMNANT?!"

Weiss Schnee, heiress to the SDC, known for being considered a cold and pompous princess, and has likely never even been in a forest before, clung onto the Nevermore's claw with one hand as it flew over them miles high. Her white snow themed dress flapped with the wind, and much to her dismay, she looked absolutely frightened and mortified.

"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!" She cried out, and by her tone, it seemed she didn't get up there on her own.

"I said jump!" Ruby yelled out in response, causing Frey to turn to her with an incredulous look. She _really_ didn't do what he thought she did, did she?

"G-guys! She's going to drop." Ragnar stammered in a frantic panic, stepping back with a nervous grin.

"She'll be fine." Ruby played it off, although her nervous chuckle betrayed her words.

"She's falling!" Ren warned, everybody, gasping in worry over the Schnee heiress.

Frey widened his eyes and saw his fellow Huntress-in-training in peril… Unbeknownst to himself, his eyes glinted with determination he didn't even know he was capable of showing. For a brief moment, he hesitated, but he ignored it, as he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

Frey took his running start, never taking his eyes off of Weiss as she neared the ground, but so did Jaune as he ran right behind Frey.

Both neared the edge of the branch, and leaped forward with their arms outstretched; only to accidentally crash into each other allowing gravity to take hold of them. As all of this happened, Weiss was still far above them but witnessed what was going on beneath her.

The two huntsman-in-training crashed into the ground separately. Jaune fell face-first into the ground, while Frey sprawled himself but still landed on his back. Soon after, Weiss landed on top of Jaune, crushing him even further down into the ground as he groaned from the fall

Wincing from the impact, Frey stood up with probably a bruise or two. Weiss had nary a scratch or even a scuff on her dress. She merely checked her nails, still sitting on top of the poor Jaune. "My hero…" She muttered sarcastically.

"My back…" Jaune squeaked out from underneath the heiress.

Meanwhile, Frey walked up to Weiss who looked up to him questioningly. With his best effort, he cracked a brief smile, unaware of his glasses' condition, which was covered with leaves and dirty with dust.

"Are you alright, m'lady?" Frey spoke with a polite gentleness that he was far too comfortable with as he offered her a hand.

Weiss' cheeks heated up ever so slightly, quickly shaking it off as she politely accepted the hand up. "At least someone's a gentleman."

"I aim to impress" Frey rolled his eyes, amused at the Schnee heiress' reluctant reply. Quite honestly, he didn't seem bothered and so long as she wasn't difficult there were no problems between him and her.

He and Weiss jogged back to the group, who all had wide-eyed stares. All shocked at Frey's sudden attempt at heroism, especially Ragnar. Yang was the first to speak, though her snarky grin widened when she saw them walking together.

"Well, look at that. Looks like you're her knight in shining armor, huh?" Yang teased cheekily, resting a hand against her hip.

Frey rubbed the back of his head nervously as he got flustered in embarrassment. "I-I wouldn't call myself that, but I appreciate the compliment."

"Bro, what was _that_?" Ragnar asked, his eyes bulging in a stupor from Frey's bravado. "I knew you had that gentleman vibe but I didn't think you'd go that far. Kinda fell short at the end though."

"Oh, don't you mind. That's what happens when you go on daily jogs, no?" Frey scratched his chin sheepishly, still being humble about what happened. "That must have looked rather ridiculous, me failing at the end and all."

"You kidding me? You looked dope when you pulled those moves, bro." Ragnar said as he walked up to his partner and patted him on the back, giving a reassuring grin.

Frey smiled in return, glad to have met a dependable and easy-going lad. He turned to Weiss who crossed her own arms, surely not in a particularly pleasant mood if her sour face was any indication. That didn't stop Ruby who sheepishly turned to Weiss.

"So... how was the flight?" Ruby giggled nervously, hoping that maybe her partner wouldn't be _too_ angry.

"Shut it," Weiss answered with a harsh glare at Ruby, causing her to flinch. She clearly did not want anybody talking about what just happened, much to Ruby's dismay.

Frey sighed and shook his head, truly a great impression as he gestured his hand to her. "Weiss Schnee… ladies and gentlemen."

"Weiss Schnee?" Ragnar crossed his arms in question, tilting his head as he looked at Weiss before the realization struck him like lightning. "Oh, oh, you mean the ice queen of Atlas?"

"What was that!?" Weiss turned her glare to Ragnar, annoyed by the nickname.

"Uh, I think you heard me." Ragnar gave a flat look at the Schnee heiress. "Look at you, with that fancy dress, that color palette, and most of all that 'snow-cold' dismissiveness," Ragnar explained, not so subtly sneaking in a joke that caused a few people, including Yang and Ruby, to chuckle. "You're the picture-perfect figure of an Ice queen!"

"Haha! That's what I said before!" Yang snickered, putting a hand on her hip in amusement.

"Princess is the term I'd use, but you're not wrong…" Ruby giggled in satisfaction at seeing the princess get her own verbal rebuke.

"Oh, _ha-ha_." Weiss's monotone sarcasm filled the air, which only caused a bit more laughter from the group, much to her chagrin.

"Well, you are correct… somewhat Ragnar," Frey added to the conversation, adjusting his glasses. "She is the heir to the SDC, the one mainly responsible for providing the resource we all use every day—" But before he could finish, Pyrrha, Sable, and Lilac were launched next to the group at their feet.

Pyrrha landed normal enough but right next to her while Sable landed face-first on the ground from the impact, and Lilac landed right on his backside with his arms splayed out and his knives in hand.

While a third of the group recognized the Faunus duo, the rest of the group didn't, which Frey completely understood.

Though he would have preferred if they didn't get a faceful of dirt.

"Ugh, my fuckin' spine…" The albino wolf Faunus groaned in pain, pushing himself up with his arms and throwing Lilac off his back. "Why did you have to land on my back, _again_!?"

"Why did I have to land right on my keys...?" The mauve-haired horse Faunus rubbed his bruised heinie, wincing in pain at the crash.

"Everyone..." Ren began, making his voice known, not having said much on the issue. "We are still surrounded by the giant Nevermore."

Lilac's face was quickly drained of its color, Frey could tell that he didn't take that kind of news very well. His nervous shaking looked real, that much was sure, but he didn't seem deathly afraid, much to Frey's confusion. "Oh, great~! We're all dead and buried now!"

"Like hell we are!" Sable gripped the cuff of Lilac's checkered suit, rocking him back and forth comically. "As long as we got our weapons none of us are dying here! Especially me!"

"He's right, we may still have a chance!" Ruby nodded knowingly, with a determined smirk she readied her Crescent Rose.

Frey took on a serious expression as he nodded, and tapped his chin in deep thought. "Right, so I think the best thing to do right now is to plan our next strategy. It wouldn't do any good to just rush at the Grimm blindly—"

"Just watch!" With that, Ruby dashed forward with her semblance; shouting a bloody battle cry.

' _W-what!?'_ Frey was completely taken aback at Ruby's rash decision, a dumbfounded expression laced his face.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang called out, she widened her eyes in shock at the danger her sister was putting herself in.

"No, wait! That scythe won't do anything against that monster armor—"

"Shit, Ruby what are you doing?! Get back here!" Sable growled out as he suddenly charged off after her with his weapon drawn.

"W-whoa! Hold on!" Lilac, uncharacteristically, was visibly concerned as he raised his hand to get Sable before he could run off but failed to, causing him to groan aloud. "He just doesn't listen!" He sighed as he quickly grabbed the nearest Relic without looking, before rushing to Yang who dashed off after her sister.

"No! Sable, Lilac you can't just… oh, bloody hell!" Frey threw his arms in frustration.

Ruby just charged off without listening, and now Sable as well? It wasn't like the albino Faunus to be this concerned for others. From what Frey knew of him, he thought Sable would be rather competitive about this.

Regardless, that didn't change the fact that their rash decision could get them both _killed!_

With all the frantic worries in his head, he just barely noticed something out the corner of his eye. He turned just in time to see that something was scurrying quickly and shaking the trees, and the looming shadow of danger washed over Frey when he saw it...

' _Oh, bollocks…'_ Frey thought softly, a nervous trail of sweat running down his brow. It was headed straight towards Ruby and Sable.

* * *

 _ **(Emerald Forest, Clearing)**_

' _What the hell do you think you're doing, Ruby!?'_ Sable's mind was racing, there wasn't enough time to stay in one spot.

Ruby was fast, she was talented, and there was plenty of potential in her… but she's reckless. Recklessness will only let you get so far until you make a fatal mistake. Mistakes that made you an open target, and you don't want to be like that when you're fighting Grimm.

' _But what do I know, I'm doing the same thing!'_ He thought to himself, growling softly.

He hated to admit it, but his sword wasn't going to pierce it unless he activated his sword's engine-fuel. Even worse, if in the future _he_ couldn't pierce it, then what good is Ruby's weapon gonna do? That weapon was great for carving into hordes of Grimm, but the biggest drawback was its inability to pierce through powerful armor.

' _So she decides to bull rush her way into the fight with no plan?!'_ Sable understood why Ruby would do something like that, but that didn't make it a good decision.

' _If she makes even one mistake…'_ Sable thought, imagining the worst that could happen. He immediately grit his teeth and scowled. ' _No, like hell I'll let that happen!'_ As much as he wanted to have a shot at the Grimm, he couldn't just let Ruby go to her imminent doom.

Sable sprinted as fast as he could, following Ruby, stomping into the ground with forceful pressure to propel himself forward. He focused on Ruby, or rather, the red blur that was the young girl.

' _I hope I just make it there in time—whoa ho whoa!'_

But his dash forward was broken when he felt something grab him from behind, a sweet scent in the air as something yanked against him. His momentum was forced to a stop as he tripped, falling face-first into the ground.

He looked around in confusion as whatever grabbed him began dragging him across the ground and into the forest greenery.

Wincing from being dragged through the bushes, branches, and the dirt, Sable barely had any time to react as he suddenly felt his body being yanked upwards until he was in the air.

This too suddenly ended, as the albino Faunus saw something in the corner of his crimson eye. A large white wad of some strange substance flew towards him. It quickly wrapped around him, pinning him to the trunk of a large tree.

"Agh… Oum Dammit… who the fuck did that!?" Sable yelled out in frustration, fed up with the sudden ambush that caught him off guard. He struggled to force his arms to move through the web that covered his upper torso to no avail. He couldn't even reach for his weapons.

' _S-shit, what the hell is this thing made of!? It's sticky… and… making it harder to move!'_ With every movement the sweet-smelling webs began wrapping tighter around him, the restriction getting painful as the confinement grew compact.

Sable growled in anger, scowling harshly at his surroundings. He was back in the forest, but the branches and greenery were tangled with cobwebs, silky white and adorned the entire forest like party decorations. The sun was just barely visible through the thick roofing of webs and leaves.

What was really horrifying was the dried up cocoons that were strung up on other trees. There weren't many, only a few animals that must've wandered into the den, but that didn't make it any better. It only showed what was going to happen to him…

Whatever it was that dragged him into this hellhole of a spider's nest, it wasn't anywhere to be seen, and every passing second was only met with silence.

Sable tensed at the silence and cursed his situation. Here he was, trying to help Ruby only to get hoodwinked and forced into a situation that he hated: Being trapped,

The snapping and crawling noises that echoed in the empty forest only served to unnerve Sable.

The sickly sweet scent assaulting his nose growing stronger with each moment. He turned his head in slight disgust… it wasn't the sweetness you get from candy; it's the kind of smell so appalling and strong that it's disgusting to even inhale.

To make it worse there was an underlying scent of rotting flesh, the combined smells made him gag.

The noises grew louder, and faster. The confusion and trepidation crept on his spine. Four pairs of red-eyes, glowing through the forest and bushes leered at him like a piece of meat. Like prey that had foolishly let its guard down, and was preparing to be eaten.

' _You're kidding me…'_ Sable hurried in his struggle to break free from the web that restrained him but he made no progress. If only he could reach his weapons… but then what could he do?

His arms were tied up by the webbing and he couldn't even stand upright! He could only lay there trapped, panicked and frantic, helpless as the glowing eyes suddenly blinked out of existence.

Gritting his teeth, his eyes widened. Staring into where the glowing red orbs blinked out.

Sable didn't dare take his sights off of where the Grimm _absolutely_ would come out of.

' _Dammit! This can't be fucking happening!'_ Sable growled, filled with frustration and anger. It was happening again. That _fucking_ dread on his spine came back again. The feeling that comes whenever you're at something's mercy…

The feeling of being _weak_ enveloped him, if only briefly. He hated that feeling…

It was disgusting, repulsive even, to be afraid.

He tried to rid of that freaking emotion every time he could, but by now it was inescapable

And then the monster leaped out and rushed at him faster than he thought it would. A giant Grimm that crawled at him with speeds and legs similar to a Tarantula.

About as long and large as the Deathstalker from before, it easily towered over even the 6'5 albino Faunus. With fangs large enough to make him a meal, and the splashing acid that left puddles which burned the earth.

' _S-shit! I can't die here!'_ The albino wolf Faunus' fixed gaze flashed with a sliver of disgusted fear, and he didn't dare close his eyes.

The Arachne was upon him, and its raised fangs were prepared to gore him into mince-meat. The hissing rang through his ears, and a brief moment had passed as his life flashed before his eyes…

The same heat from the fire that burned away everything he knew. The pained screams, filled with fear that rang through his ears in a cacophony. That single night of trauma, of the horror, and the anger that came with the memory of… _him_.

The years that he spent trying to block them out. Years spent preparing him to be a Huntsman… all wasted.

Or at least that's what he thought… until he saw that dumbass—

"Wait… the fuck!?"

He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Behind the Arachne, he saw Lilac perched on one of the branches.

The horse Faunus soon launched himself, unsheathing his blades of fire and wind before jamming them into the Arachne's Abdomen violently. It let out a bellowing screech of pain, violently swinging its frontal legs and body.

Soon he heard rapid footsteps from his left, and he saw Frey with his halberd drawn and ready as well as a hazel-skinned young man he had never seen before.

Frey jogged up to Sable, and with no words, he raised his Halberd before cutting into the webbing with a few good swings. After two or three strong slices, Sable was freed from his webbed prison.

He wouldn't admit it, but a part of him was relieved at his sudden rescue.

"GET…" The hazel-skinned young man yelled as he charged towards the Spider's prosoma and launched himself fist-first. "...DUNKED ON!"

The sudden slamming blow threw the Arachne off-balance as it tumbled towards the horse Faunus.

Though Lilac managed to get off before rolling towards the tree where his albino Faunus partner was stuck to, crashing into it before sliding down to the ground on his back.

"Owowow…" Lilac muttered, wincing in pain as he carefully stood up straight.

"Rough landing, lad," Frey remarked, taking his stance next to Sable. "Alright, now what's next?"

"What's next?! First off, we need to get the hell outta here!" Sable barked apprehensively, looking worse for wear. Despite his previous desire to kill Grimm, right now the albino wolf Faunus didn't feel like sticking around much longer.

The Arachne hissed viciously as it swiped the hazel-skinned dude away with its front legs, but fortunately, he managed to skid on his feet, stopping next to Lilac.

"I don't think Charlotte over here's gonna let us! She's gotta be absolutely fuming right now!" Ragnar exclaimed as he pointed to the now viciously stanced Arachne, its front legs flaring up as it bared its fangs at the group of four with a chittering hiss.

Sable looked at Ragnar with a raised eyebrow. "And who are _you?_ " He asked in genuine confusion.

"Wha– Seriously, I'm Ragnar!" Ragnar was surprised that Sable didn't catch his name.

Sable stared at Ragnar, still not recognizing him. "Who?"

"We've met before?" Ragnar said as he gestured to himself one more time, a twitching eyebrow signaling his annoyance. "Back at the ruins!?"

.

..

…

Sable's half-lidded eyes were enough to answer his question. "...not ringing any bells. You're talking crazy, man."

"Oh fuck you!" The hazel-skinned man exclaimed loudly in frustration.

"Gentlemen now's not the time for bickering!" Frey yelled, gaining the two bickering students' attention. "It's making its move!"

The Arachne lunged forward with its fangs, forcing the group to roll away as they split up. Sable and Lilac were on one side while Frey and Ragnar were on the other, surrounding the Arachne.

Despite the supposed advantage, Arachne's back legs started spinning a thread of webbing and launched it towards the Faunus duo.

Sable and Lilac ducked underneath to avoid the thread, a sharp whistling noise pierced the air, followed by a loud cracking sound.

The two looked where the thread hit, and were shocked to see a very large gash in the trunk of bark. It was followed by the tree creaking and falling down to timber.

"Yowch! That's lotta damage!" Lilac quivered in place, quickly brandishing his twin bowie knives as he leaped into the dead tree branches.

"Lilac! You think you can lead that spider away from the forest!?" Sable yelled out, slowly formulating a plan in his head.

The Arachne lunged at Lilac, who leaped to another branch before he could be mincemeat. It followed Lilac with a vengeful hiss, nimbly traversing the forest with its slithering legs. Quickly, it launched a barrage of webbing in an attempt to pin down the one who stole its prey.

"AAH! WHY DOES IT HAVE TO FOLLOW ME!?" Lilac shrieked out in fear as he avoided the silk, causing a few raised eyebrows and a scowl from Sable.

"What does it matter if it follows you!? Just make sure to lead it away from here, ya damned midget! If we can get it out of its home territory, then we'll have the advantage, then we go for its legs! It can't do anything if it can't crawl away!"

Lilac gave a shaky thumbs up in response. "Okay, okay, I'll do it—AAHAA!"

Lilac ducked underneath the Arachne's swipe as he clumsily jumped from branch to branch. Sable could see that he was somewhat shaky, but was still being unpredictable to draw the Arachne away from them.

Sable looked to Frey and Ragnar with a serious expression. "Well, what are we standing around for? Let's go!" He charged off without waiting for a response, making sure not to lose track of Lilac or the Arachne.

Frey and Ragnar followed behind the albino wolf Faunus with no hesitation, making sure to avoid the stray webs left in their path. They could barely see the Arachne as it crawled its way through the branches with ease, though they figured it was especially targeting Lilac.

"You sure about that plan?" Ragnar questioned him, dashing and hurtling through the bushes in his sprint. "Why don't we just smash that thing to pieces?"

"Because it keeps moving too darn fast to even let that happen, dumbass!" Sable scoffed, brandishing his motorized-sword. "Plus we're at a disadvantage here!"

Frey adjusted his glasses, running up to the two with a serious look. "I agree with Sable. Right now the forest is the last place we want to be in, the Grimm would be at an advantage. Lilac serves as a distraction for the Grimm, therefore baiting it into a more suitable terrain for us."

Ragnar nodded quickly, "Ya know what, I'll bite. That's actually a good idea Frey!"

"Guys! Less talking, more running!" Sable barked at the two temporary allies, his tone serious and strong.

"Fine, Fine! Whatever you say, jackass!" Ragnar rolled his eyes, while Frey nodded concisely.

Sable chewed the inside of his cheek in worry of the annoying pony, not that he would ever admit it. ' _Don't you die on me…'_

* * *

 _ **(Emerald Forest, Deep Woods)**_

Speaking of Lilac, the mischievous Faunus was grinning with nervous desperation as he couldn't help the shivers running down his spine at being chased by what could be considered his worst nightmare.

' _Spiders… why did it have to be spiders!?'_ He mentally screamed, narrowly jumping over a web that missed its mark.

The hissing turned malevolent and spiteful. He knew that it was following him, crawling and rampaging through the branches in a violent rage. It would catch up to him slowly but surely in a few minutes.

Lilac wasn't worried… okay yes, he was, in fact, he was _terrified_ , but he knew where he was going. If everything went well, then it would follow him out of the forest where it would be exposed.

' _At least… I know where to go…'_

The ruins popped into his head, quickly deciding the perfect place to go to. The ruins were close to where they needed to go to pass the exam, but it wasn't sure what the ruins would actually look like. Anything could happen.

But if the Arachne cornered them they would be in massive trouble, and the last thing they needed was to be impaled or turned into desecrated flesh because _somebody_ rushed in behind the red-hood and got himself captured!

' _What was the guy thinking, jeez!'_ To say he wasn't miffed about Sable's actions was an understatement. Over the next few minutes of constantly dodging and moving forward and away from the forest, Lilac twitched an eyebrow at Sable's reckless behavior and barking.

At least he had a plan on how to deal with the _freaky spider_ , but after they were done with all of this the albino Faunus was going to get an earful from him!

He shook the thoughts from his head just in time to look back and be met with the Arachne's macabre visage, causing a high-pitched shriek from Lilac as he was almost crushed by its front legs. Deftly jumping to a sideways branch, he continued to avoid the Arachne as his life depended on it because it did. Soon though, the path ahead of him showed a gap of light that indicated he was almost out of the forest.

Just as planned, Lilac tightened his legs with one final jump. He dropped and rolled forward from the ground, shifting into a running sprint. Looking back, he saw the Arachne chittering viciously as it forced itself to scurry along the ground at frightening speeds. Despite his shaking teeth, he kept running forwards to the ruins.

Soon he noticed that he was running up on a cliff overlooking the rest of the ruins, consisting of stone pillars and a bridge while he was probably on a trail leading to a patch of land in front of him.

' _That must be our destination!'_ Lilac grinned excitedly for a moment. He might have separated from his partner for a moment, but if Sable was following both him and the Grimm then they might as well have passed.

After all, Lilac had the relic in his pocket.

He turned his head back to see the Arachne almost catching up to him, lunging with its forward arms.

"Oh crap!" Lilac's burgundy eyes flashed as the Arachen's arms slammed him into the ground, only to disappear in a puff of purple smoke.

The Arachne was left confused for a moment, only to see that in front of it was its prey who kept running but had enough time to flip it a gesture.

' _Semblance, you're a lifesaver!'_ Lilac was now almost running out of breath, but he sure was glad he pulled that one before it got him. It didn't let him make a body double, but it allowed him to present a mere optical illusion that can trick everybody around him.

Similar to a magician and the 'pulling a rabbit out of his hat' trick, except he could do that with his semblance: _Trickery_.

Luckily, he was able to make it to the cliff in front of him with enough time to catch his breath. After a few deep breaths, he looked over the cliff he reached and was greeted with a pleasant, and at the same time, the unpleasant scene before him.

The first thing he saw was the rest of the group including Jauney boy, the bombastic girl, the pony-tail male, and the Invincible Girl going up against the Deathstalker from before. Next thing he knew, he saw Ruby, Yang, the raven-haired chick, and a snowflake-hair princess brandishing their weapons as they fought against the Nevermore.

While he was glad that the rest of the group was doing okay, he didn't have enough time to worry about them.

Another thing that bothered him was that the Arachne had given up on trying to web him up and continued to hiss in a blind rage. It almost made Lilac lose his nerve, but it was really odd considering it had been shooting webs at it constantly.

' _Maybe it's because we're out of the forest?'_ That could be it. There wasn't much for the webs to latch onto, so now it was just concentrating on catching up to him.

Either way, a giant hairy spider following his ass would be nightmare fuel for _days!_

Speaking of which… the deafening screech signaled it's closing presence as Lilac started sweating bullets even harder than before. His face grew pale as he took a shuddering breath, turned around holding both his bowie knives of fire and wind Dust.

The Arachne was rushing in a blitz, but clearly riled and not planning ahead. Lilac's playful facade dropped, his face turned into a scared but determined frown as he took his stance. Both blades in a reverse grip, he was tightly preparing to run straight into the Arachne.

' _O~kay… Just gotta dip in there, give it a few marks in the legs and get out of there. Rinse and repeat… just like a regular spider.'_

The hell beast bellowed an ungodly warcry, the sounds getting louder, and louder. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

Lilac's shaking body and pale terrified expression said it all, taking a sharp long sniff through his nose. ' _JUST LIKE A REGULAR SPIDER…'_

"COME AT ME YOU 8-LEGGED, WEB SPITTING ASSFACE!" Lilac shouted from the top of his lungs as he blitzed into a sprint, roaring a battlecry.

He and the Arachne rushed headfirst into a heated standoff… or run-off in this case. The battle would be bloody, grievous, and glorious. Only two opponents standing off against each other… Lilac Sleipnir, and the dreaded Arachne. Who will be the victor? Who will be defeated in a bloody fashion? Who will be left stand–

"SURPRISE. BITCH!" A crude and cocky voice roared, the same time an explosion of red bombarded the Arachne and blew off Lilac into a silly and comical roll.

"WOAH WOAH WHOA~" The wavy and mauve-haired Faunus hooted as he rolled into a ball and hurled his entire body into another sturdy body down into the ground.

Lilac's groaning did little to convey the pain, and relief that washed over him. "Oh… thank god, this hurts less than I thought…"

A second groan came from the one he knocked down, followed by him shoving Lilac away. "What the heck is with you and crashing into _me_ today!?"

' _Oh great, it's Sable…'_ Lilac inwardly sighed in both relief and slight annoyance. He got up dusting himself off, seeing Ragnar and Frey standing there with the latter's halberd drawn, while the former's… clearly robotic prosthetics were 'armed' as he took a stance.

Frey glanced at Lilac for a moment, a concerned look on his face. "Lilac, are you alright? I hope it wasn't too much trou—"

"OH, THANK GODS YOU'RE HERE!" Lilac shouted in relief and joy, as he started zipping and jumping anxiously with his horsetail straight up stiff. "Do you know how terrifying that was, to have a creepy disgusting spider following you to the ends of the earth with almost no rest or even any chill, I almost DIED like three or four times, and I swear if I made that thing follow me all this way with NO actual plan on what to do after, I promise each and every one of you that I will make it my mission to pay back the favor three- no, 5 TIMES OVER with my special brand of PIES TO THE FACE!"

The anxiety-driven rant dragged on enough to the point where even Frey and Ragnar were surprised, though for two different reasons.

Frey was surprised and stupefied, though he figured out a clever fact about the tricky pony.

Ragnar, on the other hand, was surprised… and immediately grabbed hold of his sides in a burst of strong and whooping laughter that made Lilac glared indignantly at him with a pout. "Hahahaha! S-sorry, so sorry, but you're clearly an arachnophobe!"

Lilac trailed a hand to rub his sweaty forehead, his pouting indicating a poor mood. "No, I'm not! I-I'm just not really fond of spiders okay?"

"Yeah, we call that arachnophobia dude," Sable growled in annoyance. "Now, if you don't mind…" Immediately, he charged ahead of the group in the direction of the Arachne. "It's time for pest control!"

"W-wait, no!" Lilac raised a hand to stop him, but he couldn't get him in time.

"Oh gods, not again!" Frey cursed under his breath, gripping his halberd as he followed Sable ahead.

"Seriously, what is up with the guy!?" Ragnar groaned out his displeasure, following Frey as well.

* * *

 _ **(Emerald Forest, Beacon Cliff Clearing)**_

"Alright, you guys distract it while I cut its legs off!" Sable couldn't contain the wide and sharp-toothed grin, for he was in an ideal situation. Well, at least the one he looked forward to.

The area around them was barren for a cliff, but it was safe enough for a fight without fear of falling down. The grass seemed dead, but the rocky terrain, lack of trees, and Lilac's baiting the Arachne into here meant that the plan worked.

Now all he needed to do was take care of the Grimm so that he could get into Beacon Academy already!

Sprinting head-on to the now growling Arachne, he unloaded two bullets to the Arachne from his revolver. The .50 cal bullets left two holes in the Arachne's bulb upon impact, damaging the Arachne but not as badly as he wanted to.

Sable started off with a horizontal swipe at the bugger's front legs, nicking it steadily but surely. The Arachne promptly countered his sword with one front leg, raising the other leg to defend its head and eyes.

It lunged with its bare fangs, forcing Sable to roll away from this opportunity he charged with his sword, the motor fully revved and the exhaust pipes burning, he targeted the Arachne's back leg to cut off one.

With full force, he sliced off the back leg of the Arachne. A pleased grin was visible on his face, but it soon turned to surprise when a great hit from the Grimm's front leg struck him. It launched him a good distance away, and as he landed on his back, he growled in annoyance.

Now he was getting impatient… and so was the Arachne.

It took the initiative and charged at Sable with feral hunger, the acid from before dripping from its fangs and corroding the floor beneath it.

He bore his own set of fangs. His motor sword in his left fang, and the revolver his right fang. He charged forward with no fear in his eyes… never again!

Until he got bitchslapped away by the Arachne first into the ground. Skidding off his back across the ground, he slowed down to a halt before scowling from the pain and bitch move.

"You... fuckin' spider, let me hit you!" Sable snarled in pain as he stood up quickly, and looked ticked off. Before he could make another move, Lilac, Frey, and Ragnar had arrived and took their stances as they armed their weapons.

Before Sable could ask anything, Frey looked at him with a serious but disapproving glare. "Are you daft, Sable!? Don't go charging recklessly like that without us!"

Sable scoffed, frowning as he stood back up, he bumped shoulders against Frey and stood in front as he aimed his revolver at the Arachne. "Let's just get this over with already! That damn bug isn't gonna get away with making me look like an ass back there!"

"Dude, we get it, but I don't think that you can handle that thing on your own," Ragnar remarked.

"Exactly!" Lilac affirmed, a serious expression on his face. "Look, my friend, if we're gonna pass this exam we need to work with each other, play to our strengths!"

"And what makes you think you would be able to help?" Sable rolled his eyes, clearly not convinced. "It ain't like you've been of any help in this whole exam!"

Lilac merely gave him a scowl, before rushing off first to handle the Arachne.

"Wait, the fuck are you doing!?" Sable yelled out, rushing along with Ragnar, and Frey. The battle against the Arachne had begun, and there was no time to waste.

Sable charged front and center as he shot with his revolver. While they struck, he watched as Lilac started attacking the Arachne, flipping around in feats of acrobatics to disorient it. He started running in circles, and in a sudden burst of speed, he attacked with his two Dust-lined knives against its legs.

While this was going on, Ragnar decided to support with ranged fire. Sable stood in surprise as cyan blue shots of energy came from the palm of his hands! It dawned on him that they must have been prosthetics from Atlas.

Where else could you get such technology!?

Ragnar took targeted shots though, always going for the Arachne's legs as well… though every time it hit the hairy legs the Arachne would lunge towards Ragnar in an attempt to gore him. But he simply punched its ugly face with such weight that caused it to reel back in pain.

Taking advantage of this, Frey ran forward as he twirled his Halberd and swung overhead with a mighty shout and cut off the Arachne's right front leg. He didn't stop either, Frey propelled himself to the air using the pole of his Halberd, avoiding another lunge.

As gravity took hold of him, he used the opportunity to deal a blow to the Grimm's fused joint between its body and head with one quick motion of his Halberd.

The Arachne screeched in pain as Sable took the opportunity to deal a blow in the same spot. He started running, picking up speed and in the last moment, he did a flip jump. When he landed on the Arachne's jointed area, he thrust his sword into it with ruthless force causing the Arachne to thrash around in pain.

Sable grit his teeth, tightened the hold on his sword, lest he is thrown off the Arachne before finishing it off. He held tight until the leather gloves started burning.

The Arachne thrashed around some more before screeching… and collapsed onto the ground, completely motionless.

Sable took breaths, which soon turned into a soft chuckle, into a burst of excited laughter as he pulled his sword off the Arachne. He hopped off and started walking up to the group of three. "Fuck yeah!"

Frey couldn't help but a small chuckle, before adjusting his glasses and chiding Sable. "I suppose that we succeeded in eliminating the threat."

"What do you mean 'we'?" Sable raised an eyebrow as his cocky tone showed.

Ragnar stared him down with his own raised eyebrow, clearly not liking Sable's tone. "What do you mean 'what do you mean'? That was clearly a group effort!"

Sable hoisted his sword on his shoulder, with a shit-eating grin. He couldn't help it, after all, he had been excited to take down a Grimm, and he did. What reason did he have _not_ to? "Well, who was the one who dealt the killing blow? I'm sure it ain't any of you."

Frey decided to pitch in with his own muttering. "If you think about it, it was you, but only because I managed to stun him first."

"Ah, don't worry 'bout the details," Sable waved it off, as he gave Lilac a glare. "Besides, at least Lilac here _managed_ to contribute to the fight!"

"What's that supposed to mean? I was trying my best out there despite my ' _arachnophobia,'_ " Lilac air quoted, though his tone seemed more annoyed, an uncharacteristic frown on his face. "What's with the cocky attitude all of a sudden?"

Sable scoffed at Lilac. "Don't get me started! You knew what you were signing up for, don't act like you don't! You want to be a Huntsman, and yet you're only good at cracking jokes!"

"Only good at making jokes? Remind me who was the one who decided to go save you because you got captured?" Lilac pointed out and caught Sable off guard.

"What?" Sable asked, clearly confused. "Ya know, I never asked… Who had the bright idea?"

"That… would be me." Frey slowly raised his hand, with an unreadable expression because of his glasses. "I knew you were going to be in trouble sooner or later, so I told Ragnar and Lilac to follow me. However, Lilac was the one who came up with the idea to rescue you."

Sable was surprised, to say the least. "W-wait, _he_ came up with that plan?" He pointed at Lilac, who simply tapped his foot, clearly not liking his attitude.

Ragnar crossed his arms, as he pitched in. "Yeah, and you were about to be spider-food, so if you think about it you're damn lucky we even made it in time, dude!"

"Another thing, while you were busy trying to help Ruby from before, _I_ actually remembered and acquired what we needed!" Lilac stated as he took a chess piece out of his pockets, specifically a black king piece, causing Sable to flinch.

' _Shit… the relic.'_ Sable groaned out his displeasure. He completely forgot about that other part!

Sable grit his teeth in frustration as he scratched the back of his neck. "Tch, it's not as if I asked any of you to help!"

"What's so wrong about that?!" Lilac exclaimed, his face clearly showing that he was fed up with Sable's attitude. "You expect us just to leave you there for dead, just so we could satisfy your ego?"

Frey frowned at the argument that was going on, before turning to look at the now-dead Arachne. "W-wait…" Frey muttered under his breath.

"I expected you to at least let me prove myself that I _could_ defeat it on my own!" Sable glared through his sun goggles, though not as strongly as before. He pointed his sword to the Arachne corpse, walking up to it. "Besides, I already proved my point when I finished _that thing off_!"

Of course, he did. Being captured by the Grimm, and finally getting a chance to kill it was exciting. Although he still had to go through what could be considered a really bad day.

Lilac, Frey, and Ragnar, however, seemed shocked, startled, and slightly tense. Sable raised an eyebrow at their expressions, unsure of why they were reacting like this.

"What? What's with your faces?" he asked, oblivious to the Arachne's body shaking.

"Dude… I don't think the spider's dead yet…" Ragnar stepped back in his nervousness.

Sable tilted his head incredulously before he heard the shaking… he turned his head to witness the Arachne's corpse shaking wildly when it should have been fading to ash.

"Sable… you might wanna back away from the Grimm…" Frey slowly took his stance, though he tried to let Sable know about what they saw.

"Shit…" Sable cursed under his breath, before all of a sudden the front leg that remained swiped Sable upwards. He fell down to the other side of the fight, the Arachne slowly but surely regaining it's bearing as it stood between him and the group. Hissing viciously, it looked as if it was more feral then before as it started spinning a thread.

"Oh hell no!" Sable exclaimed, making the first move against the Arachne with his sword slicing overhead. Unfortunately, the spider seemed to dodge at the last second and went to gore him with its fangs immediately.

He raised his sword up high to block the fangs, but the pressure behind it forced Sable to take a knee. He was dangerously close to almost dying… again!

' _Shit, shit, shit! Think! What do I do now?!'_ He scrambled his thoughts to create a plan on the spot before his nervous glances landed on the group right behind the Arachne.

They were ready to attack, but it seemed they didn't know where to start… he was forced into an ultimatum.

Live? Or Die?

Lilac, Frey, and Ragnar. These guys stuck by him this exam… and Lilac at least tried helping. Who was he to judge, when he… did nothing but belittle the guy.

' _dammit.'_ He growled as the pressure built up stronger than before. The fangs were nearing to crush him. He had to do it. He hated it, but dammit…

He wasn't going to die today!

"Frey! Whatever Semblance you have, use it NOW!" Sable yelled out as the Fangs started pinning him on his knees. It was a desperate command, he had no idea what Frey could do and if he made a faulty move…

Suddenly a blue blur crossed his vision, then a force pushed him into a roll until he landed on his back and an indigo flash of cobalt enveloped Sable's eyes, forcing him to close them. What followed was the odd sound of bone scraping… glass?

The dull screeching sound seemed to whirr around the battlefield, coupled with the grunts of a man struggling to push something… but what?

Sable opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the sapphire glow that he witnessed. Then they widened, and he was met with Frey stretching out his arms.

His hands were glowing an iridescent sapphire blue as Sable marveled at the hexagonal barrier that surrounded him and Frey, pushing back the Arachne and preventing its fangs from going any further.

"Finally come to your senses, have you?" Sable couldn't see it, but he was sure that the Atlesian grinning through the struggle.

Sable had no words, but he did have an idea that the barrier was part of Frey's semblance. Grinning at the thought, he found the strength to get back up and take a stance.

He looked towards Ragnar and shouted. "Ragnar! Have you ever played pull the leg off the spider!?"

Ragnar nodded with a wide grin, and a thumbs-up as he took his running start. Picking up speed, while the Arachne was still focused on the barrier, Ragnar gripped the front leg of the Arachne.

He grit his teeth, dug in his heels, and pulled with all the might his robotic arms could muster. With a gross squelch, a loud screech, and finally the sound of spider flesh being torn, the leg was separated from its body.

"WHOOO! That is… disgustingly satisfying!" Ragnar whooped as he then swung the leg like it was his own weapon. It hit like a sledgehammer, and it rocked the Spider back enough to send it rolling before landing on it's back, twitching desperately in an attempt to get back up.

The flakes on its body were starting to fall off, as it was now missing two front legs and two back legs. Down to four legs, and slower than before.

The best part about this? Its underbelly was exposed.

Frey called off the barrier and started breathing heavily, the semblance having used up a lot of his Aura. He still had enough strength to hold his Halberd, so Sable wasted no time running to the Arachne as he yet issued another command. This time to Lilac.

' _Alright then… let's do this!'_

"Lilac!" He called out, The trickster nodded in understanding as the Faunus duo ran next to each other. Lilac gave him a cheeky smirk.

"So! How's working with people working out for ya?" Lilac winked with a teasing smile.

Sable couldn't help but scoff, but regardless gave him a confident smirk. "One final attack… right in the center!"

"You got it, Sable!" Lilac agreed with the plan as he dashed forward, attacking the Arachne all around with little resistance other than it's constant flailing.

The Arachne was helpless to defend against the barrage of attacks that Lilac had… but even more so when Lilac used a different application of his semblance.

Sable could have sworn his eyes were playing tricks on him. As Lilac was slicing and dicing the Arachne while dodging its constant flailing, his figure started blurring until suddenly a second Lilac layered with a purple Aura split from the original, followed by a third Lilac who vaulted over the Arachne acrobatically.

' _That's….surprisingly effective.'_ What kind of semblance lets you make clones of yourself? Sable didn't linger on that question as he started revving up his sword several times.

It was a single-edged sword that he could hold with one hand. It doesn't sound special on paper sure, but it had its own specialties that were unique to it and it alone. His sword, Skol, had a propellant-fueled motor built into it.

By twisting the handle of his sword, he could spray it along the blade effectively lighting it on fire...and if he did it enough to the point that the exhaust pipes were spewing out flaming gas, then he could pull off a lethal blow that no one but him had executed.

After all, with so much force and momentum being swung around, it takes a certain amount of finesse and modifications to be able to use it effectively. If he landed a fully revved hit on the Arachne's center abdomen, then surely with enough force he could take it out.

But just to be sure...

"Lilac! Give me a boost, We're gonna finish it off!" The albino wolf Faunus sprinted towards the prone Arachne as he signaled Lilac, before turning to Frey and Ragnar giving them a commanding glance. "You two, back me up with the finishing blow!"

"Understood!" Frey adjusted his glasses as he twirled his Halberd and charged off.

"Roger that, bro!" Ragnar gave a thumbs up, before sprinting and launching himself into the air with concussive blasts from his robotic arms.

One of the Lilac clones nodded at Sable's command, as he cupped and lowered his hands to the ground, providing Sable an effective launchpad.

"AAAAAND…" The horse Faunus raised his cupped hand and body, using Sable's momentum to launch him into the air. "LIFT OFF!"

Sable was in a perfect position! As gravity started taking hold, he made sure to aim his entire body towards the center of the still writhing Arachne. He twisted the hilt of his sword, ejecting another puff of flame as his crimson eyes focused on the underbelly of the helpless Grimm.

' _This is it…'_ Sable flashed a cocky, grinning excitedly. ' _The final blow!'_

Dive bombing his entire body straight down, he violently rammed his burning sword down into the Arachne's exposed underside. Ablaze of smoke and fire bellowed within the wound that he inflicted into the now screeching Grimm.

Not for long though as Frey and Ragnar moved towards its head. Ragnar reared his mechanical arm as it was propelled by a small rocket extending from the elbow, and Frey yelled out a war cry as he swung his Halberd, both managing to land and crush its head with a snap sound following soon.

The impact of both attacks whirled up a dust cloud as Frey and Ragnar backed off from the now crushed head, as the body now started to flake away into ash.

"Alrighty!" Lilac landed right next to them, with the clones puffing out of existence in purple smoke. "You guys okay?"

"No need for concern, what about you?" The tousled brown-haired Atlesian turned to Lilac with a polite smile, not knowing his glasses were scuffled and covered with dirt.

"Uh, specs… your, uh, specs are kinda messed up." The hazel-skinned man pointed out Frey's glasses, the Atlesian widening his eyes and flustering as he proceeded to rub his glasses with his suit.

"Ah! E-excuse me! This is so embarrassing…" He mumbled as he finally cleaned out his glasses and put them on with a bit of relief. "Ah...crystal clear…"

"You really need to check someone about that." Ragnar chuckled to himself as he rubbed his nose, looking to the dust cloud with a straight face.

"Right, I should…" Frey sighed, before opening his eyes in concern. "Wait, where's Sable?"

"You mean the asshole pale boy?" Ragnar scoffed, though with a grin he pointed to the dust cloud. "See for yourself."

Surely enough, from the Dust clouds was a heavily breathing Sable who seemed exhausted from the high-pressure attack he dealt the Grimm. Albeit tired, he was actually completely elated. He walked over to the group with a mildly unreadable expression, before sighing in defeat.

"Alright… I'll admit." Sable started scratching his cheek as he looked away from them almost… embarrassed? "Y-you guys, even if some of you can be annoying, were pretty cool back there."

Lilac seemed to widen his eyes, in actual surprise which raised an eyebrow from Sable. The horse Faunus stared for a moment before cracking a smile that, surprise, felt actually genuine. "Well, you weren't so bad yourself! I'm glad we all defeated that giant spider together!"

"I share the same opinion," Frey added with an inquisitive smirk. "Working with you lads has been a hectic experience, but I can't say I've regretted it."

"BOOYAH! Man, you guys were absolutely rad! We gotta do it again sometime!" Ragnar put his arms around all of them, huddling them together shoulder to shoulder.

"R-Ragnar! Personal space!" Frey seemed taken aback by the sudden and rough gesture.

"Hehehe! You're going to be a lot of fun aren't ya?" Lilac giggled mischievously.

"Damn straight, man!" Ragnar replied with a wide grin.

Sable, on the other hand, was kind of annoyed by the sudden gesture and growled softly.

' _Still… I really did it didn't I?'_ Sable wasn't paying attention, as the thought struck him like lightning. His attention was too stuck on the fact that he was grinning and smiling like an idiot, and he was _damn_ proud.

Very proud, and for good reason.

He had made it, he finally made it into Beacon!

* * *

 _ **(Beacon Academy, Auditorium)**_

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark."

Ozpin listed the names of four individuals, all of them wearing armor that would give them the appearances of a troop of soldiers.

"The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL (Cardinal), led by... Cardin Winchester!" Ozpin formed the team as the crowd gave one wave of ovation for the ones who passed the initiation.

Sable didn't really have a smile on his face as he crossed his arms. Since it was now night time thankfully he opened up his jacket and stashed away his sun goggles, revealing his crimson eyes. How would the albino wolf Faunus describe how he's feeling right now?

Proud? Annoyed?

Or just plain bored?

Regardless, all of this was relating to the fact of the idea that he dreaded back in the Emerald Forest. They were finally forming teams, and sooner or later he was going to be in one.

Stuck with three other people he didn't know, nor did he care to at first.

' _But why the hell am I not pissed off about this as before?'_

That was the question he had been asking himself since this entire ceremony started. Especially since he wasn't alone. Right now he was in a line of students who had passed the exam, including him, Lilac, Frey, and Ragnar. That said, they were supposed to be the last ones called for teams.

Sable gave the three a curious and almost grateful glance. As much as he acted the way he did back in the forest, these three didn't leave him to die, but fought with him and stood their ground. At the end of the day, it was thanks to them that he even managed to pass.

' _Hate to admit it… but he had a point.'_ Sable unknowingly smirked, as he recalled Lilac's words from before.

He took a moment to glance over at Lilac, Frey, and Ragnar. The group who had effectively helped him passed the exam in the first place. They were all silent as to not interrupt the speeches going on, but they were in a rather chipper mood.

' _Still, I'm gonna make it… and get stronger.'_ He nodded to himself with a confident and determined look in his eyes. If he had to work with them, it meant that he wasn't strong enough… and that wasn't something he would let slide. He won't accept being weak, and if working together means he was weak… then he'll just aim to gain more power until he doesn't need saving.

' _Anyways… who's up next?'_ Looking ahead of them, he noticed that the next four students were up next.

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie" Ozpin called out the group of four, including the blond knight, the 'Invincible Girl, the pony-tail teen, and the bombastic girl as they stood before the headmaster. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper)."

The applause followed, and the orange-haired girl gave the pony-tailed boy a power hug, causing Sable to tilt his head with an annoyed grunt. ' _What's with those two?'_

Ozpin wasn't finished, he continued to announce the leader of the team. "Led by... Jaune Arc!"

Sable nearly tripped as he was shocked. "W-what?!" He whispered to himself, dumbfounded that Jaune was somehow appointed as the leader.

It seemed that Jaune had a similar reaction, as he was shocked by the announcement himself. Despite that, a grinning Pyrrha friendly bumped his shoulder in a show of kindness but resulted in knocking him to the ground by accident with a laughing crowd.

' _I can't believe that the reckless and wimpy one turned into a leader…'_ Sable pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly annoyed with the declaration. Surely, Pyrrha would have been a better leader than _Jaune._ Regardless, he shook off those thoughts as he paid full attention to the next four students.

The one who caught his attention in particular… was Ruby.

"Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long." Ozpin called out the four ladies, clearing up who the other two ladies were, besides the sisters that is. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY (Ruby). Led by... Ruby Rose!"

Sable widened his eyes, the surprise catching him off guard. Ruby was made team leader? That was mildly concerning, and not to mention something that he couldn't help but wonder if it would even work.

He couldn't help a glance as her sister started hugging her in congratulations, with Weiss Schnee just looking with a half-lidded look and Blake just… plainly looked at the situation with a straight face.

Despite all that, he inwardly grinned sympathetically for Ruby. She was going to have a lot of stuff on her hands.

' _Shame… and here I thought we would have been in the same team._ '

"Psstt, hey my wolf chum! We're up next!" Lilac whispered as quietly as he could, though his flicking horse tail made it difficult to hide his excitement. He exaggeratedly started breathing heavily. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! We're actually going to be students here!"

"S-shut up I get it! Hold your horses!" Sable covered Lilac's mouth with his hand, letting the moment sink in for both of them before Frey cleared his throat and gave them a serious look.

"Lads, it's our turn next! I suggest you be at your best behavior!" Frey chided the Faunus duo, Lilac pouting with his arms crossed while Sable just grunted in annoyance. Frey sighed as he adjusted his glasses. "I do wonder though, who's going to be the team leader?"

"Well, I'd put it up to a vote… and my vote is Frey!" Ragnar chimed in the conversation with his own wide grin, putting his arm over Frey's shoulder. "You're like, the smart one out of the four of us, and not to mention that I feel with your attitude you'd make an excellent leader!"

"Yeah, you know what… that actually sounds like a wonderful idea! You could be like a great scholar!" Lilac agreed as Frey started looking surprised. "Hey, Sable, what do ya think?"

Sable raised an eyebrow, before looking away and smirking. "Heh, hey… at least he has a better chance of getting along with you guys."

Frey, being the subject of all this praise started chuckling awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head abashedly. "I appreciate all the praise, lads… but I think the decision is up to the headmaster."

' _Shit… that's right.'_ Sable bit his lip, clearly anxious about that little bit of information.

As if on cue, Ozpin started calling them out. "And finally… Frey Sapphire. Ragnar Periwinkle. Lilac Sleipnir. Sable Fenrisulven." With all that, the group consisting of two Faunus and two humans stood in front of the headmaster with anticipation.

Ozpin scanned the boys with a knowing and wise glance, something Sable couldn't help but be anxious about as he held his breath. He spoke, "The four of you retrieved the black king pieces. From this day forth… you will work together as Team SLFR (Sulphur)."

Sable exhaled in acceptance, he knew what this meant.

He was finally in a team, and there was no changing that. He may have his opinions about this, but all in all, he couldn't object to it. After all, it wasn't made clear who'd be the leader, and if he was lucky… Frey would be the leader.

"Led by…" Ozpin started, letting a pause in his sentence.

' _Led by…?'_ Sable held his breath again, still not sure why he was _this_ anxious.

"...Sable Fenrisulven!"

…

…

…

' _Wha–What…?'_

What followed was an ovation from the crowd, congratulating faces and cheers from some people in the audience.

Ruby widened his eyes before smiling warmly and cheering loudly, Yang was intrigued with a raised eyebrow, Weiss was genuinely shocked, and Blake just had a slightly surprised look in her eyes.

Lilac looked at him in shock, before flashing a goofy grin. Frey was actually perplexed as it seemed and looked at Sable inquisitively. Ragnar simply gave him a thumbs up and a pat on the back as he cheered with the crowd.

Everybody either congratulated him personally or clapped for his success. Ozpin looked at the group with a knowing smile, while the rest of JNPR and RWBY clapped for him as well.

This was everybody's reaction to Team SLFR being formed, but they forgot to ask… what was Sable's reaction?

…

' _What...in…'_

Well… Sable, _ever_ so slightly… only for a moment, between his twitching eye, and his hanging jaw…

 _...flipped his shit onto the wall._

"WHAT THE FU—"

* * *

 _ **AND THAT'S THE END OF THE FIFTH CHAPTER!~ XD**_

 _ **OOH BOY, I FINALLY FINISHED IT.**_

 _ **Thank you guys for your patience, and I'm happy you enjoyed enough to read the entire chapter!**_

 _ **Now, the hardest part of this entire chapter for me was the extended fight scene with the Arachne. Now, I am sure I might have missed a lot of opportunities to write the fight scene with a spider Grimm, but to give credit where credit is due...at least it didn't fall off a cliff with a problem.**_

 _ **So, finally, I managed to have Sable go through his first steps to being a leader. Even if he doesn't believe that himself, I aim to express and show his conflict and struggles with being a leader as well as phasing out of being a lone wolf.**_

 _ **(Hehe. Lone wolf)**_

 _ **And with that reaction at the end, I hope it sets up an interesting thought for you guys… especially since he didn't really expect to be the leader in this case.**_

 _ **Welp, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter! Please be sure to leave at least on review giving me your thoughts about this chapter, and any constructive criticism is appreciated!**_

 _ **Before I leave I will let you guys know that there is going to be a new story coming up! What that is though, you'll just have to wait and see! Hehehe, anyway I hope to see you next time!**_

 _ **It is I, the Maelstrom, and I will see you on the horizon!**_


	6. Chapter 6: Truth of Leadership

_**HEYO! It is I the Maelstrom! Back after a good two months and a half!**_

 _ **So, thankfully I managed to churn out another chapter as of now, and this is a really long one too! I realized after a few chapters that I really prefer to write these sorts of long chapters at a time, depending on how much I have to work with. So, hopefully it isn't a problem for you guys when reading this, and I hope some of you enjoy this sort of writing!**_

 _ **Now, I did say last AN that I would be making another story on this account, and it's still in the works. Trust me though. that it is going to be the next story you will get an update from this channel!**_

 _ **I won't keep you here for too long though, so I'm just gonna let you enjoy this really...REALLY extensive chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**_

 _ **Now a Message from your Local Beta Void: Apparently Maelstrom is fine with me leaving notes so why not? So on to my topics of discussion, this chapter is pretty neat. It's compressed story development, literally. It's all one day. Besides that… I got nothing. See ya!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6: The Truth Of Leadership**_

* * *

 _A misty morning, it was so on Patch Island. Within the dead forests, there was a simple, modest wooden hut, enough for two people if need be._

 _In the grove of dead sickly trees, the sounds of wood striking against wood echoed in the air, followed by harsh desperate grunts. Then, after that, came a fierce battle cry, from a young albinistic Faunus boy who was seven years old at best. He quickly brought down his wooden sword from overhead._

 _His opponent, or rather, master, merely blocked the attack with his own wooden sword, merely pushing the force away._

 _The young boy grit his teeth and growled as he swung his sword one more time to the side, shouting in determination._

 _Unfortunately, the master held his sword at an angle, countering the strike with a kick to the young boy's chest, launching him to the ground._

 _The albino boy groaned in pain, the calluses on his hands were noticeable, and the bruises on his body a testament to the brutal training they went through today._

" _That's enough for a break." A strong voice spoke, belonging to the master whose figure remained concealed thanks to the mist. He crossed his arms as he scrutinized the young boy with his wise old eyes._

 _The young Faunus leered at the master but relented with a frustrated grunt. "Fine…"_

" _Hmm? Is the pup in a mood today?" The voice let out a chuckle, bemused and pleased, but lectured his pupil. "There is no point in rushing, lad. That attitude won't help anybody."_

" _I get it," The boy muttered bitterly, sighing in annoyance as he leaned on the tree and looked down with a tired frown. "But I want to become stronger! I… I can't stay the way I am!"_

 _The boy threw his wooden sword at the ground next to the master in frustration._

" _It's only been a week, and already you're whining, pup." The master sighed, walking up to the boy before he stood in front of him._

 _The young boy looked up to him with a frown, though he shrunk at the towering figure of his master. He looked down, defeated. "Master… do you think I'll ever get stronger?"_

 _The master looked at his boy with a raised eyebrow. He was asking a question, but it felt more like he wanted some approval. The master grunted as he tilted his head with a grin. "There is only one way to answer that question, lad."_

 _The young boy gave him a confused look, before cocking an eyebrow. "How?"_

" _You get back up…" The master merely lifted the boy back on his feet and gave him his wooden sword with a small bearded smile. "...and don't give up."_

" _Don't… give up?"_

" _Exactly!" The master merely grinned, before stepping back and returning to his former stance. He held his wooden sword in a simple low guard, but the young Faunus figured he wasn't serious. "No matter the obstacle in your way or the hardships you may face... if you get knocked down into the dirt, then you must simply choose to get back up on your own feet, and persevere!"_

 _The young boy was still confused but reinvigorated as he took his sword, and adopted an offensive stance. He gritted his teeth and focused on his master, who was waiting for him to make a move…_

" _That's the spirit… now come at me, lad!"_

 _And so he did, rushing in head first to swing his sword, only to be met with his master countering it, and every other swing of the sword._

 _The albino Faunus was unable to land a decent hit, let alone make his master move from his spot… but he didn't stop._

 _He was relentless. He was determined, so much so that even after getting knocked to the ground, he immediately stood up and rushed at his master once again._

' _Get back up…'_

 _He was left gasping on the ground again. He forced himself up once more._

' _Get back up…!'_

 _With a grunt, he stood up muddied with dirt, but his determined crimson eyes made a statement. He roared his lungs out as once again, he wielded his sword._

' _And never give up!'_

* * *

A sunny morning, it was so at Beacon Academy. Sable squinted at the sunlight cracking through the window, already feeling somewhat groggy from his dream. He let out a sleepy moan and stretched out his entire 6'5 body, which barely fit in the bed he slept in.

The red-knit bed sleeves covered his body, wearing the same grey t-shirt the last time he slept, as well as the sun goggles around his neck. He proceeded to put his sun goggles on, his vision through a gold-colored lens. The sun wouldn't hurt his eyes, as he yawned loudly showing his own pair of canines.

Slowly, he sat upon his bed with a pensive look and a rather downcast expression.

' _Another dream, huh?'_ Sable sighed to himself, recalling the dream that felt so vivid to him. Still, he looked around still half-dizzy to reorient himself with the dorm rooms his team was placed in.

Spacious, with a window if you entered the dorm face first which let in the sun. The four beds were put next to the walls, with a small personal desk next to each, decorated with one lamp. An empty bookshelf, assumingly for any schoolbooks or personal belongings, was built on the wall next to the main dorm room.

Of course, there was bedding made for four people, with a bed across the room parallel to his own.

Sprawled with drool coming out the side was Lilac Sleipnir, a horse Faunus who seemed to be clearly enjoying his beauty sleep. His wavy mauve hair was unkempt and curled around his face. He still wore those purple onesies with the unicorn patterns.

' _Good choice of clothing…'_ Sable remarked sarcastically, before getting up and making his way to the restroom.

Along the way, he looked to his left and noticed two other beds, where a sleeping Frey was sleeping formally. Ragnar... had his sleeveless shirt half-way up his torso revealing his exposed abs.

Another thing was that he still wore his robotic prosthetics from yesterday's exam, though now they seemed to be in a sort of 'safe mode' for practical and regular situations.

Sable couldn't help but frown as he imagined what he must have done to have gotten in that position in the first place. Did he lose an arm?

Or was he born like that?

He shook off those thoughts as he turned back to enter the restroom. Once he did he opened one of the drawers, taking out his medical sunscreen bottle and proceeded to apply it around his face and body for protective measures.

This was a routine for him, being albino and all. Didn't help that he needed a specific one for every morning… at least they lasted 24 hours.

He wasn't sure why he was born with a condition that made him likely to get more than just sunburns. That never stopped him from living the life he was given.

Or at least, the life thrust upon him.

A shuffling, rattling noise and Sable stopped applying his sunscreen. He furrowed his brow in annoyance, as he opened the door to check on what was going on.

Only to be met with the sound of an airhorn right in his face, yelling out in surprise as he slipped and fell on his back.

"Shit, shit, shit…" Sable winced in pain as he rubbed his back, quickly sending a scowling glare at whoever scared him like that. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

Lo and behold, it was just Lilac, still wearing his purple onesie like before, holding an airhorn in his left hand and giving him a goofy obnoxious smile. "Whoops!"

Sable stood back up and snatched the airhorn from Lilac, as he growled… before just sighing in defeat and walking past him back to his bed.

"What? Not gonna shout in my face like before?" Lilac remarked with a grin, though his tone felt like he was sardonic.

"I don't have enough energy to deal with you right now, just wake up the others… it's almost an hour to classes." That's right, today was their first day in Beacon Academy. He looked at the alarm clock and noted the time: '8:00 A.M'

That alone was enough to give Sable a reality check.

"Gotcha leader!" Lilac chirped with glee, getting an annoyed grunt from Sable in response.

' _Leader…' Sable_ had a glower on his face at the mention of that and opened up his suitcase with a bit of force. The word had been burning in his mind since the announcement yesterday, and not once has it gotten better.

"No funny business or I'll throw you out the window!"

"Fine… buzzkill." Lilac scoffed as he gently shook Frey awake, who seemed to sit up with a sleepy and disheveled look. His pajamas were rather similar to Sable's, only this time a cyan-blue shirt and hexagonal patterns. "Wakey, Wakey, specs!"

Frey woke up slowly but surely, as he went to the side of his bed and put on his glasses, before yawning. "Good morning, lads…"

"G'morning! How did you sleep last night?" Lilac asked with a smile.

"Splendid… what time is it now?" Frey asked as he took out his suitcase from under his bed.

"8:00 in the morning, and with time to get breakfast! I hope they got carrot cake!" Lilac giggled as he jumped in excitement before going over to Ragnar and shaking him awake."Wakey, Wakey, strong-arms!"

Ragnar reacted by blubbering as he suddenly came up in a panic before blinking his eyes open and looking at Lilac with a tired, almost owlish, expression. "O-oh, hey there little man."

"Get up, we got to change and go get breakfast!" Lilac sputtered in a hurry, rushing and opening up his own suitcase which contained his uniform.

"Oh yeah… we're in Beacon now…" Ragnar began as he nodded, a wide grin and loud voice rose from it. "OH FUCK YES!"

Sable winced from the sudden shout, while Lilac was smiling as he covered his ears and Frey merely gave him a chiding twitch.

"Ragnar! You mustn't shout when there are other teams trying to sleep!" He chided as he pointed a finger at Ragnar, his glasses glaring in the bright light.

"Come on man, I'm just happy to be here! Don't tell me you ain't excited about being in Beacon either." Ragnar said casually as he put a hand on Frey's shoulder, who flinched in confusion before adjusting his glasses.

"Of course I am! I just think it's rather rude to disturb other people's sleep." Frey softened up, turning back to his suitcase and unpacking his things.

"Well then, let's not waste time and get to unpacking there broski!" Ragnar patted his sapphire-eyed teammate, who merely blinked in confusion. "I can't wait for the first class we get to!"

"Me neither, if Beacon's like people say, then sign me up for some fun times!" Lilac cheered as he pumped a fist and flicked his horsetail in giddiness.

"That's the spirit!" Ragnar laughed as he and the horse Faunus shared a high five, while Sable just looked at their conversation with a frown and went back to his suitcase.

' _This… is my life now.'_ The albino wolf Faunus sighed in defeat as he half-lidded his eyes in disappointment. ' _Fan-fucking-tastic'_

* * *

Right now they were in the cafeteria for lunch, after class, there was apparently a one hour period of lunch. Sable wanted to use this opportunity to finally take a nap, but nope, Lilac was insistent on meeting some people from the exam, with some convincing from Frey and pushing from Ragnar.

Apparently, Lilac wanted to introduce the team to Team RWBY, but with Lilac's winks at Sable, it seemed he just wanted to get Sable to talk and not be alone.

He was seated right between Lilac and Ragnar, with Frey sitting next to Ragnar. He looked around the table as he tried to mind his own business and eat his lunch, a simple burger with cheese.

Not really extravagant, but it wasn't a biggie for Sable. You get used to eating bland food like this in the woods.

"You actually fought an Arachne? Killer!" That voice came from the goldilocks, Yang Xiao Long, as she complimented them across the table. "And you just rammed straight into it?"

"Ya damn skippy! I fought him with my bare fists!" Ragnar's wide grin took the compliment as he shoved a piece of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Your _metal_ fists, Ragnar. Best not to embellish the story and stick to reality." Frey corrected Ragnar with a small grin.

"Reality seems to be the _last_ thing on his mind." That icy-cold voice was a new one as far as Sable knew. After some clarification from Frey, it was known that her name was Weiss Schnee, heiress to the SDC.

"Nice burn there, Ice Queen." Ragnar sarcastically remarked with a small glower.

"I told you not to call me that!" Weiss indignantly exclaimed as she pointed at him.

"But it does seem to fit you, don't you think?" The new mature and quiet voice was Blake Belladonna, who wore a striking black bow on top of her head. Still, Sable found it rather odd that the bow twitched slightly during certain moments.

"Hmph!" Weiss crossed her arms in resignation, though she clearly didn't continue the conversation with Ragnar.

' _Spoiled much?'_ Sable chuckled inwardly at the little conversation. Amused is the right word to describe him, but to say he wanted to participate in conversation was actually wrong. He was trying hard not to get involved with people he shouldn't be around to begin with.

"I think that's absolutely AMAZING~! What was it like? Was it hairy? What kind of Grimm was it!?" That excited and feminine voice was Nora. The hyperactive girl was almost leagues worse than Lilac in that department, but at least there was someone to hold her back.

"Hairier than a motherfucker! It was shaped like a tarantula mixed with a giant and I do mean giant, eyes that I swear were giving me the creeps!" Ragnar explained as he took a sip of his cherry soda.

"C-can we not talk about this anymore?" Lilac nervously pleaded as he was looking rather pale, which resulted in a snort from Sable.

"What's the matter?" Another mature but kinder voice spoke, being the red-headed Pyrrha from who was sitting with her own team, JNPR, including Jaune who seemed in much better spirits.

"You do seem a bit pale, all of a sudden." A calm frank voice spoke, belonging to Ren who looked concerned.

"Don't mind him," Ragnar patted Lilac in the back. "This guy over here has a bad case of spider-induced heebie-jeebies! You should've seen it, it was hilarious!"

Lilac merely sighed before giving an embarrassed smile at his secret being exposed. "I just don't like spiders, that's all."

"Tell me about it!" Ruby spoke in a burst, finally participating in the conversation. "I don't think I would like fighting one any more than you."

"Ya know, I gotta say, _you_ specifically pulled a crazy stunt back at initiation!" Ragnar laughed as he noted Ruby's flinch and embarrassed cheeks. "Decapitating a giant _chicken_!? That's amazing there, short stack!"

That nickname was followed by a slight head slap to his head, courtesy of Frey who twitched an eyebrow. "Owowowow...what the hell man!?"

"I must say it was impressive that you managed to do that..." Frey started until he had a look of realization as he snapped his fingers. "Ah, we haven't yet introduced ourselves right?"

"We only saw each other briefly back in the initiation, so we didn't get much time to talk." Blake clarified, putting a finger to her chin in thought.

Yang was the first to speak with a sly grin. "How about we take the time to introduce ourselves then? Some of us may not know each other, so why not?"

"Oh, Oh! I'll go first!" Nora shot her hand up frantically with a wide smile, putting patting roughly on Ren's back. "I'm Nora, and this silent pal over here's Ren! We're like close friends!"

"It's nice to meet you." Ren gave a calm knowing smile as he gave a small glance at Nora who merely giggled.

"Hello! I'm Pyrrha, it's wonderful to meet you." Pyrrha went next with a small wave and warm smile. Her bright jade eyes were calm, though something about them felt guarded.

"The name's Jaune, leader of JNPR. Though most people just call me the lady killer!" Jaune introduced himself with a 'suave tone', but Weiss rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Nobody calls you that, Jaune." Sable frankly shot it down with a sideways glance prompting a flinch from Jaune who merely chuckled nervously, while Pyrrha tried comforting Jaune with a pat on the back.

"Guess that's JNPR!" Ruby giggled as she looked to the group with silver eyes, eager to make friends. "I'm Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY!"

"And I'm her older sister Yang!" Yang waved to the entire group with a casual demeanor.

"Weiss Schnee… a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Weiss stated frankly with a flip of her pristine white hair tied into a sideways ponytail, though this prompted a few awkward glances from Lilac. Sable took a moment to note her icy expression, along with the snow-blue eyes that seemed to scrutinize him. Not only that, but he also noticed what was a small scar running down the side of her eye, barely visible.

Blake was next, and she nodded calmly with a composed expression, "Blake Belladonna." and Sable had a better look from what he remembered. Her raven hair was let loose in the back, and not to mention her sharp amber eyes which only added to her maturity.

With that, Team RWBY had finally introduced themselves, and Lilac immediately giggled mischievously as he stood up from his seat and posed for his classmates to see.

' _Oh, great not again…'_

"Hi there, my name's Lilac Sleipnir! I'm a fan of carrot juice, carrot cake, and most of all the color purple!" Lilac announced with flair in his posing, which set off the albino wolf Faunus to groan and put a palm to his face.

The rest of the group apparently didn't seem to mind, barring Frey who coughed into his fist, Weiss who seemed unamused, and Blake who tilted her head in curiosity.

Lilac immediately went back to his seat and proceeded to drink his carrot juice without a care, as he nudged an elbow to Sable once… then twice… and when Sable ignored the last two nudges, he nudged a third time.

"Ugh, fine I get it…" Sable sent a brief glare to Lilac, before putting his chin on his hand as he gave them all a bored and yet straight look. "Sable Fenrisulven."

"Leader of Team SLFR everybody!" Ragnar chimed in abruptly while patting the goggle-wearing Faunus in the back, causing a shove from Sable who merely growled in annoyance. "Sheesh, easy there, boy."

"Just shut the fuck up." Sable muttered lowly, hoping that Ruby wouldn't hear his language and parrot out 'swear' like some child.

Frey was next, and as he adjusted his glasses he gave the two teams a polite bow of his head and a rather polite smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Frey Sapphire, it is truly a great pleasure to be your classmate."

At the mention of his name, Weiss seemed to raise an eyebrow and gave him a knowing look, as if she recognized him from somewhere. She hesitated to ask a question before the next team member already introduced himself.

"Alright, now it's my turn!" Ragnar pointed a thumb towards himself as he gave everybody within the group a wide open, and invigorated grin. "Da name's Ragnar Periwinkle, and it's awesome to meet ya guys!"

At the mention of his last name, two people, in particular, couldn't hold in their giggles and a snort, Ruby, and Nora respectively. Ragnar's face turned to a flustered embarrassment that it almost seemed comical.

"Aw come on! I get that my last name's kinda girly, but it ain't that funny!" Ragnar deflated in embarrassment, clearly not happy regarding their laughter. "I'm a real man, I swear that!"

"Hehe, no problem there, Perry!" Yang sneaked a nickname amidst her own little snickers, which only embarrassed Ragnar even more.

"You're not helping here!" Ragnar moaned in embarrassment, as he put a hand to cover his face.

As the small talk turned to chatter, Sable tried tuning it out as he looked down apprehensively.

The uniform that was provided to him consisted of a regular black suit lined with gold, accompanied by a blue vest and a white shirt with a red tie. It was pretty stuffy, to say the least, but it covered his body head-to-toe with the leather gloves he wore so not much to complain about.

Except for the fact that breakfast and the entire morning was spent with his team. Aside from a few boring classes which made him question Beacon's credibility, he could get by with a nap or two.

' _The thought sounds pretty amazing right now…'_ For his teammates...well, they were mixed.

Frey, so far, was easier to talk to than most people, partially due to the air of maturity that he exuded. Sable considered him a pleasant acquaintance throughout this ordeal. Although, he had been rather strict when it came to classes and knew exactly where they needed to go that it made Sable kind of annoyed.

Ragnar was...outgoing to say the least and overwhelming at most. His energetic attitude and casual mannerisms made him approachable, but not as instantly pleasant like Frey was. He was crude, loud, and even a bit of an ass at times. Still, at least he kept his head straight while fighting and has proven to be actually smart for someone so casual.

Sable had the most mixed opinions on Lilac, though. Everything from how he acts, to what he says and wears is enough to give Sable a headache. His stupid pranks are so unpredictable and out of nowhere that it's hard to get a read on the guy.

Still, he wasn't completely oblivious or useless, far from it. When it came down to that girl Faunus being picked on, Lilac dropped the whole 'buddy-buddy' act and looked dead serious on what he was going to do… whatever he was going to do.

' _And when it came down to it… he ultimately saved my life back there…'_ He recalled the memory of when Lilac and the other two planned to rescue him...though that was a particularly frustrating memory now.

It doesn't help that he was picked as a leader despite that blunder.

' _Shit, if only I could forget…'_ He _wanted_ to forget that bombshell from yesterday but the idea was intrusive. Like an arrow had pierced his skull.

He was finally the team leader of Team SLFR, and it seemed that everybody knows that now.

But still, he didn't really feel qualified for that kind of position, let alone working with these guys.

Sable frowned, not sure of what to do now. It wasn't like they were a pain in the ass… most of the time, but rather that it confused him as to why, out of the four of them, Frey wasn't made team leader.

"So, Sable...how do you feel about being in Beacon Academy?"

"Huh?" That voice came from across the row table, looked up to see a pair of silver eyes and her curious smile. "O-oh, uh...I guess it's cool."

"You sure about that?" Ruby tilted her head, seemingly not convinced. She gave him a confident smile, as she offered him a cookie. "Want one?"

Sable looked at the cookie, then back at Ruby who had such a puppy-eyes look to her face without even trying that it made him almost hitch his breath.

Then he noticed the cookie was a chocolate chip cookie…

"Sorry, but no." Sable bluntly said as he went back to his food.

"O-o-oh! I see…" Ruby stammered as she deflated with an awkward expression, then she fumbled with her cookie-like she was a sad child. "I-I just thought you'd need something sweet… to cheer you up."

Cheer him up? Her childish kindness was pretty infectious that Sable raised an eyebrow, with a minor snort.

"W-w-what's so funny?" Ruby pouted, only for her cookie to get snatched suddenly.

Sable took the cookie and put it on his plate, giving Ruby a small smirk as well as a sly look. "I don't really have a sweet tooth, but I appreciate the gesture."

"Oh, uh...you're welcome." Ruby couldn't help a small smile and took a small bite from another chocolate chip cookie before squealing in delight.

She didn't pay much attention to Sable's minor gaze, laced with assurance though he easily went back to his meal with a smirk.

Ruby was way too innocent, kind, and naive for her own good. A hopeless dreamer is what she is. The kind of personality that doesn't know much about the world.

To Sable, it wasn't quite annoying but more of a peeve. He knew that she was probably doing this to become a Huntsman for some reason, and he could guess it was idealistic.

Regardless of his disagreement, he couldn't deny her bubbly attitude was slightly infectious, to the point that you'd forget she's the leader of her own team.

Now the question was whether she could handle that responsibility.

But a question was burning in his head… and a frown on his face that he hid.

' _Can I really be a leader?'_

* * *

"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey!"

' _You sure don't look like the type...'_ thought Sable as he rested his chin on his open palm, the first words stated by the plump and round professor hooking him into interest.

Professor Port was hearty, and aged, with a plump but dignified expression that showed the experiences he has in his life. He had a combed-over hairstyle that complimented his hairy and yet deceivingly combed handle-bar mustache. His red suit with golden buttons did little to hide his round belly and wore long olive pants tucked into simple gray boots.

The classroom shaped around as the rising seats indicated and arced around the center where Professor Port stood, no podium but in front of his desk. Team SLFR simply sat in the front row, but still a distance away from Team RWBY who seemed equally unimpressed.

They were so close to finishing their last class of the day, which ironically left the evening for the students to themselves.

Even if he was bored out of his mind, Sable was slightly attentive, specifically, at the exuberance and vibe his professor gave. Like a storyteller trying to rouse an audience into emotion, only to fail at that spectacularly.

He wasn't necessarily paying attention, but he was trying to feign the attention.

Port expected response, only to cough into his right hand and continue.

"Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world!" Professor Port paced back and forth across the floor, and roused his voice in an adventurous tone, to gain the attention of his 'audience' of students as he continued. "Our planet is absolutely _teeming_ with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces!"

' _Bombastic, indeed.'_ Sable half-lidded his eyes. The professor was almost obnoxiously theatrical like Lilac, and yet he couldn't even manage to hold the attention of the entire class.

He let out a snort, before looking to his left and noticing his three other teammates. Lilac, unsurprisingly, was sleepy and bored. If his slowly swaying horsetail was any indication, he was actually regretting taking this class.

' _What happened to all the 'fun times' you were spewing about?'_ Sable was itching to say that, but it was likely he would be called on by the professor for that comment, so he refrained from voicing it out loud.

Next came Ragnar, who seemed to be just as unamused as he laid back in his chair with arms behind his head, slight fidgeting feet. Not to mention that his uniform was partially untied and loose, it was abundantly clear he wasn't paying attention, let alone taking notes.

Then again, his attitude seemed like the kind that needs to constantly be moving and talking to even run effectively. Sitting in boring silence and listening to an old man drabble on's probably not the most fun for him.

' _It might be better than what Frey's doing though…'_ Sable strained a laugh as he looked to Frey who unlike anybody in the group was _furiously_ taking notes and attentively engaging in the blah-blahs of the stout professor.

A stickler for the rules, the spectacled and straight-chinned Atlesian constantly kept the energetic Ragnar and mischievous Lilac in the reins. Of course, it didn't mean that at times he wasn't prone to ridiculousness. His glasses, in particular, had a bad habit of getting dirty _all_ the time, and while he had the fierce expression in combat, he seemed much sterner, and polite when in docile situations like school.

' _He could still lighten up and not be such a stick in the mud though.'_

"And that's where we come in. Huntsmen!" Port paced the front row, catching a suddenly woken Lilac who feigned his best smile. He paced forward to Team RWBY, before sending a wink to Yang. "Huntresses…"

Yang groaned uncomfortably at that gesture, and the albino Faunus for a brief moment sympathized with the golden-haired lady.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!" He finished his long introduction speech with a resounding boom, followed by a lone student cheering for the story...only for everybody in the room to stare strangely and sit down in embarrassment.

"That is what you are training to become. But first: A story."

Lilac yawned with a slow whisper. "I know who it's about…"

"A tale of a young, handsome man…"

Ragnar let a groan slip out, as he leaned on the table with a tired look. "Don't tell me he's going to talk about–"

"Me! When I was a boy…" Port announced enthusiastically before his following speech was reduced to a series of blah-blahs for everybody present.

"Called it…" Lilac's exhausted chuckle was clear about his attitude towards all this. Sable noticed him looking to the direction where Team RWBY was, and his lips curled. He took out a piece of paper, pencils, and started drawing.

Sable peered to where the four-girl team sat, noticing that while Blake and Yang were attentive, Weiss was actually taking notes in a similar fashion to Frey. Maybe Atlesian's are just studious or the two of them are just naturally like this.

Ruby herself seemed to be drawing something on paper, similar to Lilac who by now had taken out colored pencils and started filling in the lines. He wasn't exactly faulting Ruby or Lilac for entertaining themselves, so long as they didn't make a ruckus out of it. Ruby was still a 15-year-old girl, and he expected Lilac to be like this from the last class of the day.

Regardless, Sable wondered what exactly was going through the Ice Queen's head right now.

Maybe it was her prideful attitude or the way she held herself, but she seemed to be perpetually frowning throughout this whole day. She's probably the kind of girl to take this too seriously...

"...Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter', he told me…"

...or maybe she's just as annoyed by this old man's rambling.

"Pssst, leader!" His wolf ears picked up the noise, Whatever the case, it didn't stop the albino wolf Faunus from turning to the whispering Lilac with a glare loaded. Did he really have to call him a leader like that? However, an odd sight prompted a raised eyebrow instead.

The picture that Lilac was drawing? It wasn't Port but _Sable,_ drawn with the corniest fashion sense ever.

With a red skin-tight suit, blue underwear worn from the outside—who thought that was a good idea?— and a heroic pose with a cape, this poor excuse of a drawing was coupled with the letters spelling: ' R'

Now that was surprisingly effective at making him ticked off.

"If you have time to draw, then why don't you pay attention?" Sable chided, snatching the paper away from Lilac. He didn't want to get in trouble because of this pony's antics.

"How can I when all he ever talks about is his old stories from 'when he was a young lad'." Lilac air quoted as he sighed in boredom. "Besides, I've been meaning to ask you a question."

"Can it wait until _after_ this class is done? I'm not getting in trouble because of you." He really wasn't in the mood for his shenanigans.

"Oh, that's not fair! Come on, it's not a prank or a joke I promise!" Lilac assured Sable with a whispered chuckle.

"Ahe-he-he-hem!" Sable and Lilac straightened up as they turned to the round professor who waited for them to finish. With that done, he continued his speech. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

The professor bowed extravagantly, and nobody applauded… except the giddy clapping of Lilac, who tried his best to curve his lips into an eager smile. This was just a facade to gain the favor of Professor Port, who didn't seem too nettled. In fact, he seemed to take it gracefully, with a nod to Lilac.

In response, his horsetail flicked from side to side in success.

Ragnar just gave a thumbs up to Lilac with that ever-present grin that showed his pearly whites. Frey looked up for a second to nod and hum on what Professor Port had to say, before going back to his notes and writing down his thoughts furiously as before.

' _Frey… what's going through your head right now?'_ It was meant as a joke, but the albino Faunus cast a glance to his spectacled teammate and wondered if someone like him was probably better to be a leader.

' _Better leader than me...'_ A frown creased his features as he just reminded himself. Of all people, why did it have to be him?

Why was he so worried about being a leader? He handled pretty well on his own for so long, so why was it getting to him? In his training and fighting against Grimm, he had never felt hesitation let alone limited when it was just him and himself. So why is it that all of a sudden he has to deal with these people, why does his tapping foot steadily raise its tapping, and why is his team still okay with having a hot-head like him as their leader?

"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable!" Port started wrapping up his story, his voice snapping Sable out of his own thoughts. It hit him when Port said the word honorable, that a realization hit him.

' _Right… it's still the first day.'_ Sable's widened crimson eyes showed his inner shock, he still paid attention to the last words of Port.

"A true Huntsman must be dependable!"

' _If a student voices their concern about being a leader on the first day, they can't get in trouble for asking right?…'_ Sable's crimson eyes, while still lost, slowly happened upon a realization.

"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!" Everything makes sense now…

It's a thin thread. There would be no guarantees but...

' _If I get Ozpin to change leadership..._ Sable flashed a dumb grin as the pieces finally fell in place. '... _then Frey will be made leader instead of me!'_

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

' _Oh… right'_ Class is still in session, and people are gonna be raising hands now. He could speak with Ozpin after class.

Speaking of, Sable barely participated or paid attention to most of his speech, except the last part of what qualifies a true huntsman. He figured since the professor asked for a raise of hands, why not give his own two cents on it?

He has plenty to say about that, so he steadily but slowly raised his hand. It didn't go unnoticed by his teammates. Frey with a sideways and unreadable expression, Ragnar with a quirky smirk, and Lilac who seemed to be the only confused one.

It wasn't like he believed himself to be the greatest huntsman, Sable wasn't an idiot. He wants to gain the strength and power needed to become that huntsman, and he just figured he should be able to voice his opinions.

"I do, sir!" A thumping noise, followed by the vibrations in their table caught him and his team off guard as they looked to their left and noticed a tilted Weiss who raised her hand with the other hand curled into a fist on the table.

The students, including the team's RWBY and SLFR, turned their full attention to her sudden declaration, and Professor Port rubbed his mustache once he noticed that there were two hands raised.

"Hmmm, interesting! It seems we have two people who believe themselves to be true Huntsman." Port hummed as he caressed his mustache in a sage-like fashion. Weiss looked to where Sable had raised her hand, and a small glare toned down to a scrutinizing gaze. Sable met her gaze with an equally bored stare, which only served to make Weiss frown.

' _Does she always act like this?'_

"So, is there any reason why you two believe yourselves to be the embodiment of a huntsman?" Professor Port gestured to Weiss with his hand. "Ms. Schnee, you have the floor."

Weiss was the one to stand up from her seat first, breaking her gaze and turning to Professor Port with a more composed, yet slightly condescending expression. "Well, Professor. Some might see a Huntsman as a position you can acquire, but sadly not everyone is qualified for such a responsibility."

"In many ways that a Huntsman needs to be trained and prepared, they also need to have earned their fill to be a true Huntsman. Fewer Huntsman is ever qualified to become leaders, and the ones to be those leaders are those who studied and trained for it."

The entire classroom paid close attention to her reasoning. To her team, they nodded in understanding, while Ruby seemed to be distracting herself. Ragnar leaned in his chair, his arms folded across his chest. Frey adjusted his glasses, though his expression spoke of a burning curiosity with the heiress's choice of words.

"I have been working to become a Huntress my entire life, I have the skill, the wisdom, and the necessary traits to succeed. If that isn't a good reason why I've what it takes to be a true Huntress, then I don't know what is."

Weiss bowed her head courteously, as she sat back in her desk, with a smirk of satisfaction and a wave of her ponytail which irked Sable in an odd way.

"Brilliant speech, Miss Schnee." Professor Port smiled behind his mustache, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "It's plain to see that confidence of yours is a significant trait that will carry you to your achievements."

"Thank you, Professor Port. But I'm sure my fellow classmate would like to have a chance to explain for himself." Weiss politely replied as she sent a glance towards Sable with a challenging smirk. "Who knows, maybe he might actually enlighten us."

' _Oh, so you wanna play like that?'_ Sable challenged her back with a hard stare before grumbling and standing up from his seat lazily. He rubbed the back of his neck as he cracked it, trying to keep his mind off of Weiss's own condescending taunt.

"Then I guess I'm up next, teach?"

"Of course, be sure to take your time, Mr. Fenrisulven. After all, we have plenty of time on the clock for one surprise!" Professor Port lightly chuckled, prompting a confused look from Sable who shook it off.

The albino wolf Faunus took a shallow breath, as he just now considered his decision a bad idea. Like many things in his life, this may actually be his first having to speak his mind to a bunch of strangers in his eyes. His team looked at him expectantly, same as RWBY, while Weiss herself just arched an eyebrow as she folded her arms.

He managed to feign a confident smirk, but he knew he would have to be clear and frank with what he has to say next. He took a look at Frey in particular, who returned the gaze with a small smile and a confident nod.

A chuckle escaped from Sable and found himself suddenly invigorated to speak his mind. He took a deep breath, and he spoke with an even but casual voice.

"I'll be the first one to say it, everything that a true Huntsman should be is completely something to shoot for...but here's my problem with that statement. There's no such thing as a perfect Huntsman, and none of us here are ready to be one yet." His straightforward and blunt opening statement surprised the classroom, but most particularly his team.

"The real reason why I raised my hand was that I wanted to make it clear to everyone that a true, or ideal Huntsman is more than just about being qualified. It's about proving you have the strength to back it up, and more importantly," Sable pauses as he takes a moment to look at Weiss with his piercing crimson eyes. "It's about being able to live up to the responsibility that will be a burden on you."

Everyone in the classroom had varied responses as Sable spoke. He paused a moment to glance to his left, and saw Blake and Yang taken by surprise with the wolf Faunus' honest and surprisingly mature words. Weiss herself narrowed her eyes as if trying to understand what he was saying, it was akin to a puzzle. Ruby seemed to be completely engrossed, but her eyes flickered with a thoughtfulness.

The rest of Sable's team had even more varied looks. Frey himself found himself smiling and nodding, while Ragnar merely rolled his eyes with a smirk. Whether it was sarcastic or sincere didn't matter. Lilac seemed to have the most uncharacteristic reaction, as he patiently and silently listened to Sable's thoughts with a seriousness unknown to Sable.

"That being said, I'm not so sure what really qualifies a good leader." He continued to speak with strength and a tint of uncertainty as he shifted his footing. "I'm not even sure whether or not _I'm_ a good leader or not…"

Port raised a curious eyebrow, as he continued to ask, "If you were to take an educated guess, who would you say is a potential leader?"

Sable looked down, took a moment of deep thought before grinning and extending his index and ring fingers. "Two people, actually."

"And who are they if you would be so kind?"

That question had everybody interested now, as Sable chuckled lightly and raised a finger. He pointed it to the brown-haired Atlesian who himself opened his mouth slightly in surprise.

"My teammate here, Frey," Sable said as he then shifted his finger to the edge of the table and jerked his thumb at a certain red-hooded girl. "And Ruby over there."

"H-huh?" Ruby was dumbstruck as she nearly fell out of her chair, but this prompted a more outward expression of disbelief from Weiss.

"Excuse me?" The heiress narrowed her eyes to a frown as she stood up from her seat. "I can understand why you chose one of your teammates, especially since he's proven himself in the initiation; but in what world is _she_ a qualified leader?"

"Ouch, not much confidence in your leader huh?" Sable remarked with a roll of his eyes. He didn't have a high opinion of this Ice Queen with her sass. "That said, I'm not as good with words as you, so I just have to admit...it's a gut feeling."

Weiss scoffed, not taking him seriously as she put a hand on her hip. "So that's it? You're basing who's likely to be a leader on a hunch?"

"You got a problem with my decision? I may not know what makes a leader a leader…" He stuffed his gloved hands into his pockets, before throwing a small glare in her direction. "...but I'm sure as hell that _you_ aren't leader material."

"How dare you just…!" Weiss grit her own teeth as she curled her fists at her sides. "Well, I highly doubt that you are an excellent judge of who's a leader or not!"

"Just like you're not an expert at keeping that ice-cold attitude of yours?"

That retort was followed by a slight giggle from Lilac, and a snorting chuckle from Yang. To Weiss though that made her pale complexion redden badly like a burning lightbulb.

"Why you— t-that's not—" Weiss fumbled with her words as she flustered with frustration. "At least I'm not some insufferable—"

"Looks like we have opposing sides, and two wills that oppose each other in this debate!" Professor Port interjected before an argument could escalate, as he gestured to a cage larger than the podium next to it. It was dark, and you could barely see anything behind the iron bars which two blood-red orbs peered through. "However, what will happen when you both must work together against a common enemy?"

Now that got Sable's attention. He narrowed his eyes at the cage, behind the bars the beast growled and shook with a bloodlust that washed over the class with brief anxiety and fear.'

"Holy Jeebus, teach!" Ragnar himself exclaimed in disbelief as he stood from his chair. "Don't tell me you're keeping a—"

"Grimm straight from the marshes of Patch Island!" Professor Port finished with a boom and merriment in his voice as he marched next to the cage. "This Jawbreaker here was a recently captured specimen that I personally fought and captured!"

"Excuse me, but you surely don't mean that Sable and Weisa are to cooperate with each other in this...fight with the Jawbreaker?" Frey steadily asked, with a neutral and yet concerted tone to his voice as he cleaned his glasses.

"That's precisely what I mean!" Professor Port confirmed, giving both Sable and Weiss glances that held authority. "These two wish to prove themselves, and the best way to do so is under pressure!"

Now, by this point most of the class had an expectation which they couldn't deny was filled with excitement. All except for two students, who felt _vastly_ different about their assignments.

To the albino wolf Faunus, it filled him with a rush that he wanted to liberate so badly. It was the sort that always popped in thanks to his years of training, resulting in a love of combat. He'd finally have a chance to flex his skills, and with that is much more practice.

But it was hard to enjoy that when he would have to work with Ice Queen as well. He looked to his right to see the unpleasant scowl on her face, riddled with nothing but disbelief and a sense of superiority that made him feel hot bile threatening to gag him.

' _Seems like she doesn't want anything to do with this…'_ Sable snorted as he merely brushed off her own cold stare.

"Now, I suggest the two of you go and change into your combat clothes and your weapons. Be sure to do so with haste!" Professor Port stated with a sense of eagerness to see his students in action, and so Weiss started leaving first for her own weapon.

For a brief moment, the wolf Faunus and Heiress locked eyes, both sending their own brief glares that conveyed the same message: _Don't get in my way._

As Weiss clacked her heels and walked out of the classroom, Sable himself rose from his seat and looked to his team. "Welp, I'll see you when I come back."

"Go kick some ass, dude!" Ragnar flashed a thumbs up in support. "Just be sure not to mess it up this time alright?"

The wolf Faunus twitched an eyebrow in annoyance. "Always the crude one huh?"

"What can I say? I got no filter." Ragnar shrugged in confidence. "No one's gonna shut me up anyway."

"Somebody really should, though." Frey muttered with a tired sigh, before raising his head to Sable with his glasses almost falling out of his head. "Regardless, I expect to see you at your best."

Sable chuckled, before gesturing to the Atlesian's glasses. "Uh, you might need to check your specs."

"Oh, blast!" He frantically took off his glasses as he proceeded to clean them up again. "Why must this keep happening?"

"I don't know about that Ice Queen, but I'm sure that you'll handle that Grimm just fine partner!" Lilac finally chimed in with his obnoxious smile, though thankfully he didn't cheer too loud. "Good luck!"

"You're the last one I want to hear any support from." Sable gave a flat look that was laced with a sense of annoyance. Still, he cracked a confident grin as he headed towards the locker rooms. "Besides...I don't _need_ luck."

That's right, he never needed it before and neither will he count on it today. Or ever. Not when he brushed with death, not when he trained under the old man, not during the initiation, and not even in this exercise.

If you were strong, then you wouldn't need luck at all.

' _The only one I can depend on in life-or-death...is myself.'_

* * *

Frey was always an overworking individual. Whether it came down to homework, training, or even something as simple as calculating the costs of what he's about to spend, he always went out of his way to look at every little detail with analysis. At first he was self-conscious about it, but thanks to a figure in his life he stopped looking at it like an oddity and more as an external trait that exemplifies his hard work.

Frey only wished his team had the same mindset, but he knew very well that they are different people so he wouldn't really guilt them into doing anything. That said, he still wanted to nudge them towards putting more work into their studies as well as teamwork, as opposed to just battles.

That said, he wasn't obligated to study at the moment.

Professor Port had allowed a 10 minute break for the students,before he released the Grimm. Until Sable and Weiss arrived, the class was free to talk to each other so long as it wasn't too loud.

His mind wasn't stuck on that though, but on his team leader Sable. It had been 10 minutes and he should be arriving from the locker room any moment, but right now the entire class was just waiting for the next assignment to begin.

Lilac was giddy, wide-eye albeit pleasant, if a little bit unpredictable. Ragnar's crude, and perhaps a bit rude, but at least he shares the sentiment that they are a team. Sable on the other hand acted reserved and closed off, even during lunch with the other teams. He had initially chalked it up to getting used to Beacon Academy and the new environment, but the speech cleared up whatever he was thinking about.

"Seriously, our leader needs to get that attitude checked, ya feel me? Ain't no way I'm dealing with that shit." Ragnar scoffed as he picked his ear with his pinky finger.

"Come on, at least he's not some meany-pants." Lilac defended his team leader, though he sheepishly giggled when Ragnar shot him a questioning look. "M-most of the time."

"I'm not saying he's a bad dude. All I'm saying is that he needs to tone it down a bit. Not much else." Ragnar crossed his arms at the moment, pressing his lips. "Weird how he managed to give a good speech though, any idea where that came from?"

"Yeah, I do actually." Lilac said frankly.

Ragnar jerked his head in surprise, giving Lilac a rather shocked grin. "W-wait really? I wasn't expecting an answer from you."

"I have an eye for what people mean ya know?" Lilac shrugged his shoulders with a wink and teasing grin. He sat straight up, and called, "Hey Frey, so what's the deal with that Ice Queen?"

' _That nickname is truly going to be bothersome.'_

Frey sighed, before adjusting his glasses. "She's Weiss Schnee, and for both your sakes I suggest you remember that."

Lilac and Ragnar looked at each other, then back at Frey, before Lilac laughed it off and the prosthetic-wearing young man saying, "W-w-w-wait? You mean _the_ Schnee?"

"Correct." Frey simply nodded. "As in, the Schnee Dust Corporation that exports all Dust throughout Remnant."

"The one that's practically responsible for the cool weapons we have!?" Ragnar exclaimed in surprise and excitement, while Lilac himself was just paying attention to Frey's explanation.

"No, that would be...another company in Atlas, Ragnar." Frey looked away, hoping he didn't reveal too much. He fidgeted with his fingers, tapping on the wooden tablet, and steered the conversation back to that main topic. "Kn-known as the SDC for short, they are run by the Schnee family, which has held the company for generations, but always ending with either an heir or heiress to inherit the position."

"Not to mention that they hold ownership of all the Dust mines, practically making them a monopoly in that business." Lilac joined in, surprising the hazel-skinned man with his knowledge and intriguing Frey.

That sudden burst of knowledge, briefly prompted a raised eyebrow from Ragnar who asked, "How the hell do you know something like that?"

"What? Just because I like to play around doesn't make me clueless." Lilac 'pouted' childishly, simply playing with his pencils on a piece of paper. "Still, that makes Weiss Schnee the heiress of the company, right?"

"Correct," Frey nodded his head, though he looked down in thought as he asked, "but I still am curious as to why she decided to come to Beacon Academy in _Vale_ instead of Atlas Academy."

"Being from Mantle, I completely _get_ why she probably left for one!" Ragnar sighed as he shivered in his seat. "Do you know just how freezing it gets down there? You could put a cup of water outside and it would freeze by itself!"

Frey nervously chuckled, though he smiled through it. "I-I can imagine that would make _anyone_ uncomfortable, but I think Weiss had more luxury to avoid that inconvenience."

"Because she's the Ice Queen up in here…" Ragnar sighed wearily, his sardonic tone clear for everyone to hear.

"You know, I'm curious…" Lilac brought up with a yawn, and Frey chuckled at the fact. He must be tired of waiting. "If you lived in Atlas, then your family's pretty rich right?"

Frey's heart paced a bit quickly, though he played along with an interested hum, "I-I guess that's true…"

"So, if you don't mind me asking…"

' _Blast!'_ Frey strained his jaw, and could feel a cold sweat down his back. He blew it, and it looked like his cover was blown…

...Or so he thought. The classroom door opened up to reveal two figures walking through, and the tension bled into the room immediately.

"Oh, _finally_ he's here! I've been bored out of my mind this entire time!" Lilac groaned out with relief, leaning on the table and resting his arms on the table.

Frey noted the two figures as Sable and Weiss, Her entire outfit was an expression of snowflakes and elegance, even in her footsteps and weapon. She held her chin high and she walked with the grace of an heiress. She was a combatant, and she certainly looked the part.

"That settles it. I'm still calling her Ice Queen." Ragnar said with a sardonic smirk, as he leaned back to his seat.

"Could you seriously refrain from calling her that?" Frey chided with a stern tone to his voice.

"Fine, Fine...I'll call her frozen bitch in private."

" _Ragnar!_ "

"Guys! Look at Sable right over there!" Lilac interjected before the conversation could escalate. He pointed to Sable who was now wearing his alabaster leather jacket and wielding his motor-fuel single-edged sword. Puzzled as they were, Frey particularly noted Sable's more confident and eager expression formed into a toothy grin.

' _His confidence seems to have risen.'_ He focused on Sable, unsure of what could have given him such a boost. Until he remembered that he was the same way back in initiation.

He had that same bravado and arrogance when facing Grimm.

"Alright, now that you two are here, we can begin." Professor Port twirled his mustache in patience, as he gestured them to the prepared Ring where they stood on the west side, and the cage on the east side. "Now, get into position."

And so they did, with Weiss adopting a traditional fencing stance with her sword in front. A stance perfect for exploiting and taking the initiative.

Sable held his motor-fuel sword as well as his Multi-Dust Revolver, in the left and right hands respectively. His stance was unorthodox, but it was clear he didn't leave any openings.

The cage in front of them kept shaking, the Jawbreaker rattling and snarling in a feral bloodlust. Nobody could really tell you what a Jawbreaker was, considering that Professor Port had kept it a secret until recently, but everybody could feel the tension in the air. Despite this, two particular teams cheered for their fellow members with vigor and enthusiasm to the point of comedy.

"Go, Weiss!" Yang Xiao Long from Team RWBY whooped as she raised her fist high for spirit. Frey considered her a free-willed individual, including many other adjectives that while pleasant, only served to highlight her loose-cannon personality.

"Fight well!" By comparison, Blake Belladonna cheered reservedly from her seat with a wave of her custom flag. She was the closest to a mature person in their classroom, next to Ren and Pyrrha, that Frey understood her to be a more frank person. Speaking in brief but contributing bursts. Still, his imagination played tricks when he thought he saw her black bow twitch.

"Yeah! Represent Team RWBY!" The red-hooded Ruby shouted with spirit, being the one with the most energy. The Atlesian considered her a child, but was impressed when he heard about her decapitation of the Nevermore from initiation. That said, her positivity and naive attitude was proof enough that she truly was a child.

A child with more responsibility on her shoulders as a result of being a leader. She practically skipped two years of study when she arrived at Beacon, and that meant she most likely needed to catch up. Frey could only guess, waiting to see her progress.

"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" Clearly Weiss would have a difference of opinion with him.

Ruby sheepishly shrinked, rubbing the back of her head in slightly awkward fashion.

"Alright!" Professor Port called out, before raising up his battle axe—Presumably his weapon— and holding it with strength befitting of a huntsman. "Let the match…!"

With that, the class silenced their chatter, as now all eyes were on Weiss and Sable.

With the silence hanging over them...a boom resounded as Professor Port spoke. "... _begin!"_

He let down the axe, breaking the lock. The Jawbreaker inside suddenly charged with baring fangs at the ready, forcing it's contestants to react.

Sable reacted by vaulting over the jaws of death, while Weiss managed to deflect it with her rapier with a sharp swing to the left as she rolled to the side. Both landed on the opposite side where they started, and landed with little strain.

"Ha-ha! Wasn't expecting _that,_ were you?" Now that the beast was in full view, it severely unnerved many students upon seeing it.

Frey had noted the beast in awe, as well as trepidation.

It was reptilian in appearance, frame, and bulk. Ferocious in its hissing maws, angular and triangular. It's eyes glowed the trademarked red and yellow, while it's body was carved and laid with dense scale-like obsidian plates that blanketed its torso. Four short legs, with clawed webbed toes, though the Jawbreaker was by no means slow.

It swung its entire body to face the two Huntsman-in-training, it opened its jaws wide to utter a hissing growl that made everybody's blood run cold. Much like the cold-blooded Grimm itself.

Frey had to keep his shock at bay, but even he was feeling a bloodlust coming from the Jawbreaker that made it difficult to not sweat.

"Hang in there, Guys!" Ruby called out in support for her two classmates, and Frey found himself agreeing silently with that notion. Now, he wasn't sure whether or not _he_ should cheer as it would disrupt—

"GO! GO! BIG BAD WOLF!" Lilac started cheering furiously as he chanted his own phrase for Sable. This caught Frey off guard pretty badly, as he flinched in surprise and his glasses nearly falling off. Of course, he hurriedly put them back on.

"Holy—dude! Don't just shout like that in my ears, bro!" Ragnar hissed in anger as he cupped his ears.

' _I-I guess some of us are too excited to keep our inside voices…'_ Frey sheepishly chuckled before turning his attention to Weiss and Sable, with the latter making his move as he cocked his revolver ready and started shooting while Weiss thrusted her rapier forward with elegance.

The Jawbreaker thrashed its sharp toothed-maw in an effort to cleave through the heiress, but she gracefully danced between the Grimm's berserk rage. She swung her rapier with the intent to slice, but the actual plating made it almost impossible to do so with her own blade. This allowed the Jawbreaker to thrash its tail violently, slamming into Weiss's rapier in an effort to defend herself.

She rolled until skidding next to Sable, who kept shooting pot shots at the Jawbreakers body. Frey noted that the potshots didn't seem to leave too much damage, but they did embed themselves in the plating...which intrigued Frey.

Weiss merely glared at her 'partner' with her snow-blue eyes, saying. "Aren't you going to do something about this?"

"I _am_ doing something, Ice Queen." Sable groaned with a sigh as he pulled his single-edged motor sword into a stance, and charged straight towards the Grimm with vigor, dodging the beasts snapping jaws with ease before jamming his swords edge into the small crater near its torso where the bullet embedded itself. It seemed to work, as it left a spider-web crack into its armor.

"Aha! Ingenious improvisation, but what about its tail?" Professor Port commented as he watched the Jawbreaker thrash it's tail with force that it would slam into the albino Faunus.

Frey braced himself for the impact until Sable smirked and rolled downwards, barely dodging the swing underneath. But it wasn't just Sable, as Weiss took this opportunity to take the Grimm of guard and targeted the cratered and embedded bullets with ease. With every stab, the cracks were wider and crawling over the scaled armor.

"YEAH! Be careful with it's tough hide!" Ruby continued to holler from her seat in support, only to be given a harsh glare from Weiss as she thrusted her rapier deep into the Jawbreaker with strength behind it.

It was with the intent to finish it off and pierce the plated scales, which worked...one of those two things. Weiss found her pull yielding no results, as she couldn't pull her rapier from the torso and the hide of this Grimm.

' _Oh no!'_ Frey thought with a paled look. Her sword was wedged deep into the Jawbreaker who thrashed its own weight as Weiss struggled to keep her heels digged in. She pierced its hide, but now she was a sitting duck about to be devoured

"Uh-Oh! How will you avoid this predicament?" Professor Port hummed in thought as he patiently waited for Weiss's response to this inconvenience.

Frey looked at the rest of team RWBY with worries in their expression, and Ruby in particular tried to warn her teammate. "Weiss! Be careful, use your Dust to burn it from the insi—"

"Stop telling me what to do!" She shouted in frustration, fuming with a cold scowl.

Frey narrowed his eyes, seeing Ruby's hurt expression. Why was she so mad about her teammate trying to help?

The Jawbreaker roared with pain, twisting it's upper body and neck to extend its jaw' towards Weiss who was still a sitting duck.

Everybody tensed and held their breath, some averting their eyes as the jaws of death neared the snow-haired heiress. She gasped and widened her eyes, looking for the quickest moment… frail and vulnerable.

Until a motorized, and flaming sword pierced through the top of the Jawbreakers snout and through it's jaw...nailing it down to the floor.

Sable grit his teeth as he pushed the sword down. It looked like even he was exerting force to keep it anchored. He shouted as his crimson eyes flashed to Weiss'. "What are you waiting for!? Do it now!"

Weiss seemed dumbstruck, before nodding fiercely and the revolver at the guard of her rapier started spinning and locking into place. Soon enough, a burst of flame erupted from within the Jawbreaker as the holes and cracks started to break and combust as smoke and explosions boomed at the center.

Frey, as well as the rest of the teams in class had to cover their eyes because of the smoke, but soon it cleared to reveal the now crumbling Jawbreaker as it flaked away to ash. Weiss was breathing heavily, but that is to be expected with the amount of force she put into the Grimm.

Sable wasn't exhausted, but rather looked almost...disappointed? He sheathed both his magnum revolver and his motorized sword as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. If Frey didn't know better, he would have pegged him for being arrogant.

" _Bravo!_ Bra-vo!" Professor Port clapped as he congratulated the two student's for their cooperation in this assignment. "It appears we are indeed in the presence of true Hunters-in-training!"

Sable let out a tired sigh, but smirked as he looked to his teammates and gave them a thumbs up with a cock-sure grin.

"W-well…" Ragnar plainly said in surprise, wide eyed at the display but grinning ear-to-ear regardless. "Looks like he wasn't all talk after all!"

"You're damn right he isn't all talk, Raggy!" Lilac giggled as he gave a peace sign to Sable, his horse tail flicking with enjoyment. "Nice job showing your fangs in there, partner!"

The albino wolf faunus just groaned as he rolled his eyes.

Frey found himself smiling at the success of his teammate, but soon turned to a pressed neutral expression when his eyes landed on Weiss. She was still frowning harshly, and tracing her gaze to Ruby who had a sad frown.

Whatever was going on, Frey found himself compelled to speak to Weiss. She was no doubt foolishly clinging on to the idea of who she is as a Schnee.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and...stay _vigilant!_ " Professor port concluded the class with a polite bow. "Class dismissed!"

With that, everybody watched as Weiss hurriedly stomped off towards the door. Some of the class started whispering amongst themselves.

Frey heard a scoff from Ragnar who stood up from his seat and stretched his prosthetic arms. "See now why I call her Ice Queen?"

"She did start acting strangely whenever Red Hoodie called her out." Lilac nodded as he himself stood from his seat.

' _Because she feels entitled to her own skill and status as a Schnee…'_

Frey adjusted his glasses, and stood from his own seat. "Perhaps, somebody should go and talk to her."

That is, _he_ would go and speak to her. Until he noted Ruby charging out of the room chasing after Weiss. He raised an eyebrow, though considered it appropriate that their team leader speak to one of their teammates.

What he didn't expect was for Sable to start following suit.

Why exactly, he didn't ask.

* * *

He could've waited for his team and told Lilac that he really didn't need luck.

He could just let Ruby mind her own business with that Ice Queen.

But he didn't do any of those things.

No, instead he chooses to follow Ruby as she ran off pretty quickly and he just walked behind a way away.

' _Somethings off about Weiss's attitude…'_ He'd be lying if her comments towards Ruby and overall attitude didn't leave a bad impression of Weiss. So far, she had acted like a snow cold spoiled brat just because she was a Schnee. She may have had the skill to deal with that Jawbreaker sure, but nevertheless she didn't even bother to give a thank you.

' _Then again, I'm no different.'_

No, he was. He proved it to his new team back in initiation.

He wasn't oblivious to who she was, the future heiress of the SDC is not really a surprise to him. Contrary to what some assholes believed, he wasn't isolated from the entire world and ignorant of its influences. The old man always made sure to keep him informed, including things like the four kingdoms, Huntsman academies, and even the White Fang.

Therefore, it wasn't hidden knowledge that knew what the SDC did, and he could already see Weiss lived a silver spoon life.

' _And you know what they say...they have a shit sense of entitlement.'_

Entitlement to _what_ exactly was what he wanted to figure out. Eavesdropping might be rude, sure, but after this he was going to get his leadership changed once he brought it up to Ozpin.

"Weiss, wait!" As he noticed Ruby turn a corner, he walked and leaned up against the marble wall keeping himself hidden from sight. Ruby called for Weiss who turned around with a glare loaded.

"What?" The tone in her voice was cold, and hostile.

"What's wrong with you?" Ruby said, confused, and her voice concerned for her teammate. "Why are you being—"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _you_?" Weiss accused as she threw her arms, and Sable already clicked his mouth in annoyance. "You're supposed to be a leader, and all you've been so far is a nuisance!"

' _Oh, now that's bullshit…'_ He narrowed his eyes, though didn't reveal himself yet. She was complaining because Ruby became leader? Or was it because she's just acting like someone her age would?

Ruby scoffed, seemingly in disbelief. "What did I do?"

"That's just it! You've done _nothing_ to earn your position!" Weiss continued to berate with no mercy. By now, Sable was more than just annoyed. "Back in the forest you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"

Sable couldn't disagree more on certain points. He heard from Ragnar earlier that, despite being 15-years old she managed to decapitate a Nevermore at her age and work well with others. If anything, that just made her more leader material.

"Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about working together?" Ruby asked, pleading for an answer that she hoped would clear her confusion. "I thought you believed in acting as a team."

' _Well? What's the reason for your bitchy attitude?'_ Sable kept all four of his ears, including his wolf ears open to hear Weiss' answer…

Weiss' next words were harsh, and piercing. "Not a team...led by _you."_

Any respect he had for Weiss suddenly went down the drain as she continued to speak with contempt. "I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better."

Clacking heels, and he assumed that she had turned around to walk away. He peered through the edges to see Ruby holding her hand out, and immediately bile threatened to rise out his throat.

' _That's rich…'_ He grit his teeth in annoyance, as he tried his best to keep himself in check. He might say something he might regret, but the Ice Queen finished with one last statement that made him lose it.

"Ozpin made a _mistake_." She stated coldly, and started to walk away...but Sable just wouldn't have it.

He revealed himself by saying one simple statement as he grit his teeth and narrowing his eyes at the retreating Weiss. "That's a load of _bullshit!_ "

Surprised, both girls turned around to see Sable standing there with a glower on his face and standing taller than both of them by at least a foot.

"S-Sable?" Ruby stuttered in surprise, confused as to what the albino wolf faunus was doing here.

Weiss had a different reaction as she widened her eyes, and immediately frowned while asking questions, "W-w-were you just eavesdropping on us?!"

Sable started walking towards Weiss, barely containing his frustration. "I just wanted to see what the deal was with you two, but it looks like the problem is just _you_ being a spoiled princess!"

Weiss fumed as she fumbled with her words. "Wha— W-w-who asked you!?

"Look, I get it okay? Ruby may act childish at times, and is pretty young for her age..." Sable crossed his arms giving a sneer to the princess. "But that's exactly why I'm just gonna say it right now. Ruby is _better_ than you."

…

"Wait...what?" Ruby mumbled confused at the sudden statement, and she looked increasingly nervous when that sparked Weiss' fuse.

Weiss arched a confused and irate eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Even when she's short as a pancake stack, she still managed to keep up in the initiation and pass didn't she?" Sable pointed out with a questioning tilt of his head. "She did work well with you and the others from what I'm told, on top of decapitating a Nevermore with nothing but her skill and coordination with you!

"You give her flak for acting like a 15-year old, and you boast so much about how you can do better if that debate in class wasn't any indication." Sable counted off as he raised a finger and listed off his points. "But last time I checked, skipping two years of combat school and making it to Beacon Academy is not an easy thing to do!"

"That doesn't mean anything if she can't be a good leader!" Weiss rebuked. "She doesn't understand anything about being a leader, and she doesn't deserve her position!"

"What, and _you_ do?" Sable raised an eyebrow, folding his arms defiantly. "All I've seen you do is mope and complain the entire day. Ozpin made a mistake? The only mistake that could have been made would be making _you_ the leader."

"G-guys, come on! Let's not get into this argument, okay?" Ruby stuttered, getting in between the two students while holding her arms out to separate the two. More like pushing Weiss away and her hand just stuck on Sable who didn't even move.

"No, hold up Ruby." Weiss gasped in disbelief, but continued arguing, "What gives you the right to say that!?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that I'm the one who saved your ass back in class?" Sable pointed out while glaring with his crimson eyes. "Not to mention your poor attitude, it doesn't help that you know nothing about leading others."

"I-I-I...t-that doesn't matter..." Weiss stuttered, narrowing her eyes in defiance. "I'm the heiress to the Schnee family, and I've trained to succeed here to begin with! I don't see why Ruby is the leader, especially when she's only two years younger than us!"

"Exactly!" Sable shouted in frustration as he gripped his knuckles. "It's because she's skipped two years ahead that she needs to work harder than any of us now! You invalidate all that work she's putting in to try to be a good leader, I don't care what your problem is, it's _pissing me off!"_

Weiss stared in disbelief, seemingly intimidated and befuddled with Sable all the same. He noted her surprised and flincing reaction as he was now up in her face. Sable got his point across, so he didn't have to act all aggressive anymore.

"I don't understand what your deal is, and quite frankly, I don't give a damn." Sable took a deep exhausted breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "But how about instead of complaining about not being a leader, you just accept it and move on with your life. Because I don't care whether you're a Schnee or not...you just haven't been a good teammate at all."

His words sparked a different reaction from Weiss. Instead of shouting and glaring at him with some form of contempt he didn't care to ask, she widened her eyes in a sudden shock. She looked as if she had been grounded back to reality, and suddenly she looked down with shadowed eyes.

"If you think you can coast through Beacon purely based on your family's line, then you're not gonna go far as a Huntress." Sable sighed heavily and with annoyance as he turned around and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Come on, Ruby."

"U-uh, Excuse me?" Ruby flinched in surprise, as he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her away.

"Just come with me!" Sable barked as she pulled her to another hallway, leaving Weiss in the dust and standing there in slight shock.

"W-w-w-wait, just hold on! Where are you even taking me!?"

Sable kept pulling her with him until they had reached the dorm building just outside of their respective dorms. SLFR's dorm door was just across from RWBY's, so it wasn't really that hard for them to find their rooms. That said, after pulling her in an almost comical fashion he let her go and noticed she had been breathing exaggeratedly.

Then again they _did_ just run all the way from their classes to their dorms.

"Y-you…" Ruby said in between breaths. "You…"

Sable turned around and noticed her still breathing heavily. "Aw shit, my bad. Guess I sprinted a bit too fast—"

"You big meanie!" Ruby just gave a series of slight weak flailing punches to Sable who just flinched in disbelief. "What the heck was that! You know I can't run as fast as you like that!"

"First, no, I didn't know that you couldn't." Sable pointed out with a snort. "Second, I figured you'd want to get away from Weiss's nonsense so I brought you here to your dorm!"

"W-well, y-you should have warned me at least!" Ruby pouted adorably, only for her expression to sadden as she looked down to the floor and sighed.

"What's with the droopy face?" Sable sarcastically remarked.

"I just...I'm not sure if what she said was true or not." Ruby said, opening up a bit with remorse and confusion. "But Sable...is what she said true? Did Ozpin really make a mistake?"

The tone in her voice hinged between mopey sadness and the verge of crying lightly. She was trying her best to remain calm and optimistic, but apparently Weiss' words actually hit deep.

Sable couldn't blame her. She was still a 15-year old trying to adjust to a school where she's the youngest, and to have her own teammate say she isn't good enough on the first day was crushing.

He softened his own expression as he sighed himself. ' _Can't leave her like this...it's gonna leave a bad taste in my mouth if I do…'_

"Don't let what Ice Queen said get to you Ruby. What she said was just because she was jealous." Sable huffed as he rolled his shoulders and stuffed his pockets. "Besides if you ask me, you're doing just fine for your first day."

"R-really?" Ruby looked up and tilted her head as she looked away, almost sheepishly reluctant to the compliment. "I mean, I wasn't exactly the most attentive or even the best person to lead."

"Who says that? Come on, little red hood, It's only the first day of school, I'm sure there are other people who aren't as attentive or borderline sleeping in class!" Sable scoffed, as he smirked. "You on the other hand, already proved yourself that you earned your spot."

"I...did?"

"You heard everything I said back there, I don't need to repeat myself ya know?" Sable said with a small tinge of annoyance, before saying something that even he didn't expect. "You're gonna be a great leader, better than what I could be anyway."

"Wait, better than you?" Ruby caught on to the phrasing, before raising an eyebrow as she asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Huh?" Sable owlishly blinked before flinching and cursing at himself. "Shit! Me and my mouth…j-just forget about it alright?"

"Sable, is there something going on?" Ruby asked with concern. "I mean, if you are there's nothing wrong with talking about it."

' _Shit…'_ Not the best case scenario for him, and he was just going to Ozpin's office.

"U-uh...I just… gotta go to Ozpin's office." Sable muttered out the words as he looked away in slight annoyance.

"Wait, why? I don't think you did anything wrong." Ruby said with a thoughtful shake of her head.

"Not at all! I just, well, feel like I need to talk to him about my position in the team…" Sable said with a nervous chuckle, before giving up and sighing in resignation.

"Sable?"

Sable groaned, sitting down on the floor, leaning up against the wall. "I don't think I'm cut out for this…"

"Wait, what?" Ruby asked as she sat next to him in concern. "What makes you say that?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

"I disagree. You already helped me, but I can't help you if you don't tell me." Ruby said with a concerned frown, but she subtly pushed the topic prompting Sable's grunting reaction.

"Everybody just tries to tell me that I'm a leader, but that just pisses me off."

"Wait, but then what about back in class and your speech? That argument with Weiss?" Ruby listed off, she was now even more confused by him. "You even tried encouraging me!"

"Yeah, because you got a better chance of getting along with people than I do." Sable rubbed the back of his head, but his tone turned sour. "Besides, you know already that I'm...uh."

"That you're... what?."

"An asshole! That I'm an asshole!" Sable cursed as he barked out.

Ruby flinched a bit before pouting. "Swear, Sable."

"Yeah, sure whatever." Sable waved it off as he continued. "As for that speech back in there, I was just making shit up my ass, I just spoke what I thought was real."

"Again, double swear"

"Point being…!" He interjected with a groan, before sighing heavily. "I was debating on changing leadership...but seeing you try so hard after dealing with Ice Queen is making me reconsider."

That's right, he couldn't do it. Something about Ruby's encouragement to Weiss and overall attitude made him think this through and arrive at this decision. But it wasn't just that, it was also Frey.

He's a stickler, a bit stern and a hard-ass at times, but he was kind and honest-to-god too, believing in people. Which meant that he would believe in his own leader, without a question.

' _Even if I'm not ready to be one…'_

Ruby herself started fidgeting with her fingers as she looked down in thought and hummed to herself. "I'm not sure what to say since I'm not good at giving advice but...have you considered...talking to them?"

The suggestion by Ruby had Sable looking down to her with a wide-eyed expression, but a rather odd smirk. "Talking to them?"

Ruby nodded her head. "Yeah, I-I mean, like you said we're in the same boat. I need to be a better leader, and from what it sounds like...you just need to talk to your teammates."

Sable half-lidded his eyes, before answering with a flat, "No."

"That was too quick!" Ruby exclaimed with a pout, giving a small exaggerated cross of her arms which only made her look more adorable. "Come on, you can't keep this bottled up!"

"They are your team, and if they're like mine, then talking to them about it wouldn't hurt." Ruby encouraged him, trying to lift him up by the shoulder, straining as she found herself unable to move him. "Why. Are. You. So. Heavy!?"

Sable sighed before standing up straight, and ruffling her reddish black hair. "Alright, alright I get it! I'll try talking to them if it will shut you up."

"Good. Open communications a step to success!" Ruby nodded feverishly with a triumphant smile.

Sable just rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

"Hey, Sable…" He looked to her with a questioning eyebrow, as she just smiled and giggled. "Thanks for cheering me up, I really needed it."

"H-huh?" Sable awkwardly hung his jaw, before rubbing the back of his head in slight nervousness. "I wasn't exactly... _that_ helpful but okay."

"Guess it's true what Lilac says, you act tough but in the end...you're just a big softie!" She giggled to herself almost mischievously, before eyeing his Faunus ears with a grin.

"H-hey! I'm not a softie!" Sable denied with comical shark teeth.

"Sure~." Ruby drawled it out with a giggle, as she turned away to walk towards her dorm room. "Well, it was nice talking to you Sable! See ya!"

Sable sighed as he let a small smirk cross his features, as he headed to his dorm room with a newfound sense of relief. "See ya later, short-stack!"

"I'm _not_ that short!"

Sable simply chuckled, as he entered his dorm room. He closed the door, and noticed that his room had been empty, nobody was here. Lilac wasn't here, and neither was Ragnar surprisingly.

' _Good...I could use a nap…'_ He smiled comfortably as he jumped on his bed and crossed his arms behind his head.

Now that he had enough time to think, he wasn't going to speak to Ozpin about switching places anymore. He had figured it out when noting Ruby's efforts.

Sable was doing the opposite of what the old man always told him to do. He was giving up on being the leader, when it was the first day of school no less.

' _That really leaves a piss-poor taste in my mouth.'_ He frowned, cursing himself for having almost made a fatal mistake he _didn't_ want to make.

He would never do that. No, he couldn't do that. With newfound determination, he decided on a nap to prepare himself for later tonight.

* * *

' _But...that's exactly why I came here…'_

She held her tongue at those words, as she curled her dainty fists in frustration. Everything that wolf Faunus told her was frustrating, harsh, and confusing. She walked away, her heels clicking methodically through the hallways as she started looking down in pensive thought.

Not being a good teammate at all?

What did he even mean?

Weiss had trained too hard, and too long for her efforts to have been wasted on being just a teammate. So many hours spent working on her footwork, her swordplay, and her weapon with Winter. All so she could become a student at Beacon Academy, the best of the best, and further away from her own father.

Yet she wasn't made a leader. No, Ruby Rose was the leader instead. A 15-year old child was given a responsibility, one that she didn't even take seriously. She still believed that she wasn't ready for something like that.

' _The last thing I ever wanted was for my family's influence to dictate where I landed in this school.'_ She thought as she made her way to an outdoors section of the school, and noticed a bench that she sat on the far left end of it.

Wooden, sturdy, and comfortable, but it didn't make Weiss's tapping fingers on the armrest lessen. In fact, she was just now more uneasy about the absurdity of that argument with Sable.

But as she started looking back to what that albino wolf Faunus said about her and Ruby...the facts were plain to see. She frowned sadly at the thought, but she still couldn't accept it.

She wasn't doing this with the assumption that she deserved it because she was a Schnee...right?

' _Dammit, Weiss! Snap out of it!'_ Right, this was no time for dilly dallying. No, after that argument she really needed something to take her mind off of the ordeal. That was the last class for the first day after all.

She did think of going to her dorm room, but that meant she would have to deal with Yang's exuberant, and terrible puns. She didn't have much to say about Blake, she had been calm enough...but she just isn't in the mood to talk to anybody in her own team.

Instead she sat on that bench, for what seemed like the past half hour as the sun started to set. The sky became a bright orange, tinged with yellow clouds thanks due in part to the sun.

' _I guess...this really isn't too bad.'_

"Excuse me...may I have a seat over here?"

Weiss hummed in curiosity, as she noticed a fair skinned young man, wearing his cobalt suit and glasses. His tousled brown hair was indistinguishable, only outmatched by his deep blue sapphire eyes.

Weiss's expression widened in curiosity. "Frey Sapphire…"

"Weiss Schnee…" The tone in his voice was firm, and even more so level. He raised an eyebrow as he gestured to the empty spot in the bench. "So...is it free to take?

"Oh." Weiss looked to the empty spot that was on the other side of the bench. It was not too far for conversation, but not too close for any awkward contact. "Sure, I don't mind."

"I find that hard to believe, what with your performance back in class." He slyly remarked with a furrowed brow as he took the seat and opened his notebook. "Changing your attitude because I'm from Atlas?"

"Hmph...nothing of the sort." She merely scoffed, as she leaned on her hand. She glanced sideways at Frey, who seemed to be interested in his notebook with an inquisitive hum.

Almost carefree, and unaware that she knows who he really is.

She did since he introduced himself as Frey _Sapphire._

' _As in...the Sapphire Metalworks Mining Co.'_ The same company which was largely responsible for the metal produced and distributed to all the Kingdoms, which allowed for all the weapons that Huntsman use to this day. Only one family had that much influence, second to the SDC, and that was the Sapphire's.

' _So why is he here?'_

"I must say, it's interesting that you decided to come to Beacon Academy instead of Atlas."

Weiss gave him a confused look in her eyes, alerted but not defensive about the topic. "What do you mean?"

"Given your position in Atlas, as well as being the current heiress of the SDC, one wouldn't predict that you'd choose an academy halfway across Remnant." Frey remarked with a questioning, insightful glance. "Any reason behind that?"

"What are you trying to say?" Weiss narrowed her eyes in caution, though she didn't shut him down.

"Look Weiss, I understand." That statement caught her by surprise, and widened her eyes when he turned to give her a slightly empathetic look tinged with seriousness. "You left Atlas for one reason or another. That reason being more complicated than you're willing to share with someone like me.

"And you came here with some sort of expectation, given that you must have trained extensively to handle yourself against Grimm, which is commendable for every reason." Frey closed his notebook as his serious look turned stern. "But I'm afraid that whatever reason you came here, it's coming from a misunderstanding.

"Oh really?" Weiss turned her head forward, seemingly in thought and yet cautious. "Then for what reasons are _you_ here?"

"I'm willing to say that they are rather complicated." A moment of silence, Weiss's own curious eyebrow and Frey softening his expression. "I'm a young aspiring Huntsman-in-training, and I came here for my own reasons as well. Everybody does, and I'm not going to be intrusive about it."

"Neither will I." Weiss stated with closed eyes, with the spec-wearing Atlesian nodding in response. He seemed to understand something between the two, and she knew well that he would be smart enough to deduce why she left.

But instead of nosing in, he decides to respect the secrecy of her situation, and trusts her to do the same?

' _Perhaps...I could ask him.'_

"Frey."

"Yes?"

She took a breath, before speaking. "Since we are in agreement, I… well, it's not like I'm asking for help, but…"

"But what?" Frey tilted his head in expectation.

Weiss fumbled with her next words, but remained calm and resolute as she spoke her next words.

"...but what are your thoughts on that Faunus on your team?"

Frey furrowed his brows cautiously, something which Weiss noted carefully. "I assume you mean Sable?"

"Correct! I had a small argument with him in the hallway—"

"I doubt it was very _small_." Frey sighed, adjusting his glasses. "What was it about?"

"Hmph, he tried defending Ozpin's decision to make Ruby the leader, and even went out of his way to list why I couldn't be a leader." Weiss narrowed her eyes, recalling what he said before letting her frustration boil. "I mean, who does he think he is?"

"Easy there, that's my leader you're talking about." Frey replied with a snark to his voice, but his expression was neutral.

"But he's insufferably rude, and let alone a ruffian who doesn't even know what he's talking about." Weiss huffed in defiance, as she continued. "But he said something that I wanted to ask you to clarify for me."

Frey now looked at her crystal blue eyes with thought. "What is it?"

"He left saying that I wasn't a good teammate, and I don't really understand what he means by it."

How could she? Through the accusing tone, and rude and almost hostile tone, he seemed to make some good points. Yet that last statement didn't make sense. She asked Frey because she thought he would help, maybe sympathize with having an unruly leader.

"Ah, I see… he is rather obtuse and crude at times." Frey nodded before slightly smiling and closing his notebook. "I think what he was trying to say, at least from my point of view, is that you should be grateful and help your leader instead of complaining."

"Excuse me?"

"You may not be a leader, and trust me it is no mystery you didn't approve of the decision, but if all you keep mulling over the past then you may not be able to perform at your best or be a better teammate." Frey started explaining as he closed his notebook with a smile. "If there's anything that you can do, it's try to be the best teammate you can be."

At that last statement, a lightbulb went off in Weiss' brain...and she finally understood what the albino Faunus and Frey were telling her.

She took note of his warm smile, as she noticed his glasses were smudged a bit.

"If you're going to give advice, then here's some for _you._ " Pouting, Weiss stood up from the bench and snatched his glasses. She then proceeded to wipe them clean with a small handkerchief from her pockets, then handed them to him with a cheeky smirk. "Be sure to keep one of these with you."

"A-ah, right. Forgive me, it's a common mistake." Frey sheepishly chuckled as he put on his clean glasses. He put away his notebook, and turned back as he walked away with a wave. "I suppose, I'll see you another time."

"Likewise." Weiss simply said with a thin smile, calm, and overall relaxed. Thanks partially to having someone to talk to, and not have someone judge her for anything.

Still, she would be remiss in saying that she wasn't curious about Frey's insight.

Weiss came to Beacon for deep, particularly sensitive, reasons regarding her father, the familial tension and a certain drive that Winter instilled in her. She knew there was more to that, but Frey was spot on in figuring it out.

She can't just share it to people she recently met, even if they are more deserving to know.

Regardless, she had been trying to understand what Faunus meant about not being a good teammate, and with a little help than she would like to admit...she gets it now.

' _Now...what to do to make it up to that dolt?'_

* * *

The blaring roar of an air horn blew Sable's ears as his eyes snapped open and jumped out from his deserved nap. Briefly startled, his senses were alert before he turned his head to see an obnoxiously smiling Lilac.

Since Professor Port's lecture, he had been napping in his bed for what he could see was about to be sunset. The orange glowe peered through the window curtain, the entire room being as it was, rather compact and finally decorated.

There was a poster that had the words, "Ride Rocker" on the wall over where Ragnar's bed was. There was a small wooden writing desk next to Frey's, littered with already 4 notebooks stacked on one another.

Already, he was regretting sleeping without locking the door.

Sable grit his teeth in furious annoyance, before taking a sharp sniff of air...and let out an exasperated breath. "You're such an ass…"

' _Note to self: watch out for that airhorn.'_

"Hey there, bud! How's it going?" Lilac asked with a smirk, as he stepped back with his arms and air horn behind him.

"Oh, not much. Just a rude awakening after a nice nap, no thanks to you." Sable groaned out as he sat on his bed and stretched sleepily. He noticed two others were in the same dormitory room as Lilac.

Frey was standing in the middle of the room as he looked at Sable with a stoic expression, his lips pressed into a thin smile. Looking behind him, he saw Ragnar in his own bed. Instead of sleeping, he sat there slouched over with a half-lidded look of annoyance.

"What's with that mug?" Sable raised an eyebrow, wondering what was the deal with his teammates.

"I dunno, where were you the entire day, Mr. Loner?" Ragnar retorted with his own raised eyebrow, his face shaped and featured. "If you were going to give that Ice Queen what-for you could've at least told me about it?"

"And what, have you blabber it out to everybody in the freaking school?"

"What makes you think _I_ would do that? Why not the literal prankster right over here?"

"The hell did I do?" Lilac defended himself, but was met with looks before he chuckled sheepishly. "I mean, except for a couple of pranks, duh!"

"Because I can already tell you like to cause a ruckus, and you don't exactly have a clean mouth either." Sable retorted, moving his hands towards the goggles around his neck before noticing a detail. "Wait, how did you even know that she and I had an argument?"

"Ahem." The Atlesian cleared his throat, giving a slight wave. "I had a word with her, and she was polite enough to open up about your disagreement with each other."

"Mouthing off to the heiress of the SDC on your first day of school...that takes some _balls_ , man." Ragnar chuckled as he perked a thumbs up. "Respect."

"Wouldn't say that's impressive, Ragnar." Frey chided the hazel-skinned fighter. "That being said, I believe you owe us an explanation of what happened."

"I don't owe anything, specs." Sable shrugged it off.

"Sable." Frey sternly spoke, his tone being serious.

"Dude, come on you can tell us anything..what are the deets?" Ragnar leaned in with an ecstatic grin.

Sable rolled his eyes as he groaned. They weren't gonna leave him alone unless he did explain to them.

Instead of resisting any further, he slowly but surely told his team the details. Why Weiss is not fit to be a leader, why Ruby herself was a better leader, and for the most part recollected the events as his team listened. Of course, he left out the part about his talk with Ruby. He didn't want these guys thinking he was going soft or anything.

"Hmmm, I see…" Frey mused after the story, as he leaned on the wall next to the door.

" _That's_ what it was about? Jeez, I figured she was spoiled, but this just settles it." Ragnar shook his head.

"Mhm, definitely sounds like Weiss Schnee." Lilac nodded while sipping from a carton of carrot juice on his bed.

Sable just sighed, because he for the most part expected these reactions. His team was surprisingly chill about this, and seemed to overall agree with him. He was slightly content, if a little bit apprehensive about it.

"Heh, if she really was a leader, she'd be better as a bossy bitch." Ragnar grinned at that.

"Ragnar, that's not polite nor is it called for." Frey sent a scolding look at the hazel-skinned man, before continuing. "I already had a chat with her, and she seemed to be more cooperative when I left."

"That's a shocker, I figured she wouldn't give you the time of day." Saable raised an eyebrow, pressing the question.

"You all know that I'm from Atlas, she probably thought that it'd be easier to speak to someone from her own kingdom." Frey reminded them, before gesturing to Sable with a question. "That said, why did you end up arguing over it?"

"Tch, it's because of the way she acted and held herself. I've seen her type before, the spoiled rich daughter type that thinks they're better than everyone." Sable scoffed, crossing his arms. "So, I decided I would give her a piece of my mind, and get her to back off."

"Again, that is a butt-ton of respect for ya, man." Ragnar snickered, while Frey just sighed and Lilac gave a small thumbs up.

' _Oddly..supportive.'_ He didn't get it. They weren't upset with him actually being some asshat? Now that he thinks about it, this is the first time he really sat down and talked with these guys.

And he wasn't being given any flak for being the way he was. For the most part, they have been pretty supportive, welcoming, and somewhat chill.

' _Yeah, I-I mean, like you said we're in the same boat. I need to be a better leader, and from what it sounds like...you just need to talk to your teammates.'_

That piece of advice seemed silly at first, and not really well-worded...but if it'll make things easier, then he might as well.

"Still, there's something else that I've been meaning to talk to you guys about." Sable took a shallow breath, as his teammates turned their attention to thim with curious eyes.

It wasn't heart-pounding, but he didn't know what to say to get the answer he's looking for. He was struggling to think of what to say next, unsure whether or not he would just mess up the conversation with his attitude.

He took a breath, and mustered up the will to speak his mind.

"Now, that we've got this time to ourselves...I've been meaning to ask you guys a question throughout the entire day ever since yesterday's announcements." Sable started, and continued to slowly articulate his words. "I'll be honest, I know I haven't really been a social butterfly or whatever. Heck, I barely spoke a word throughout the day."

"You were acting rather peculiar." Frey noted.

"And not to mention being a broody dude." Ragnar added.

"But also being slightly fussy earlier when I showed you that picture." Lilac tilted his head with a smirk. "Was it the spandex that threw you off?"

"No, you asshat! I-I mean… ugh!" Sable reprimanded himself for that slight outburst, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's not the picture, Lilac. It's the fact that I have this really big responsibility, and I don't think I am capable."

That got everybody silent, and Lilac in particular wasn't goofing off as usual.

"Guys...lemme ask you one question. And be honest with me here." He looked to each of them with an unsure frown, as he looked down at his open hand. He remembered yesterday's teams, the argument with Weiss, the heart-to-heart with Ruby, and ultimately back to the words he spoke during the debate...which he wasn't sure if he believed or not.

" _I'll be the first one to say it, everything that a true Huntsman should be is completely something to shoot for...but here's my problem with that statement. There's no such thing as a perfect Huntsman, and none of us here are ready to be one yet."_

"Do you really think I'm capable of being a leader?" The question came out, and that caused a small stun from all three of his teammates.

.

..

…

Following the nervous silence, surprising Sable and breaking all his expectations, erupted the raucous laughter from Lilac and Ragnar. The horse-Faunus clutched his belly as he slowly got to his knees in a fit of joy, while Ragnar consistently slapped his knee like a whooping hyena.

Even Frey chuckled when he heard, resulting in a laughing smile that wasn't common for anybody to see.

Sable owlishly blinked before shouting. "W-w-what the hell is so funny!?"

"Are you serious?! That's why you've been acting so moody all day, bro?" Ragnar cackled, as he took gasps of breath. "Oh, oh boy, g-gimme a break here, I'm outta breath!"

"The Big Bad Wolf... is insecure…! Hehehehe! Pal, this is a riot!" Lilac himself continued giggling amongst them, before getting his cheeks pinched and stretched by the albino Faunus.

"Who the fuck you calling insecure, huh!?" Sable growled comically, before Frey cleared his throat.

"Truthfully, it is rather comical. To think, your confidence and bluster in combat doesn't carry over to your own perception." The Atlesian chuckled as he adjusted his glasses. "But to answer your question, you shouldn't be too self-critical."

"Huh?" Self-critical? Is that a fancy way of saying he's too hard on himself?

"Same here, bro!" Ragnar rose from his bed as he stretched, and put his hands on his hips. "I'm gonna be honest here, I don't like your cocky attitude when you fight. You can be a bit moody, grumpy, and not to mention you totally lack style."

"The fuck you say?"

"But even with all that shit, you weren't half-bad at making up plans on the go. I mean, you were the one who had the idea of making Lilac here _spider-bait_."

Lilac shuddered at the memory, holding his arms. "N-never again!"

"See even now he's having flashbacks to that!" Ragnar exclaimed as he paced around the room. "But even after that plan, you're the one who led the attack on that creepy crawly death dealer! I don't see why you're acting all insecure.."

"Hey, you said it yourself earlier!" He defended himself as he put a hand to his chest. "Mr. Loner right here! I'm not the kind to be bogged down by people, and I certainly don't work in teams. Hell, I bet I can wipe the floor with each of you individually!"

"And there he goes with that cocksure arrogance." Frey remarked with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes. "How does this relate back to you being a leader?"

Sable huffed as he scratched the back of his neck. "Let's just say someone suggested that I talk to you guys about it. One thing led to another, and now we're here talking about it. But I'm just not sure if I deserve to be a leader."

Could you blame him? He knew his limits, despite being a confident ass about it. One thing he was good at was killing Grimm, and established duels between two contestants.

He didn't even have the skills to be a proper leader, let alone the charismatic attitude that Ruby and Frey have.

"Well, if you ask me? I think you're just overthinking it." Lilac spoke his mind as he continued drinking his carrot juice.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm surprised you didn't think of this when arguing with Weiss, but you forgot to mention that it's only the first day of school." Lilac turned to Sable with a frank, and neutral glance. "Don't you think it's a bit too early to start self-doubting when we barely started the school year?"

Apparently, he had been dumb to forget that part.

Sable took in those words, and mentally cursed at his forgetfulness. Looking down to his hands, he furrowed his brows as he asked."Maybe...but you understand where I'm coming from right?"

"Of course!" He simply smiled freely without a care, and without judgement. "It's alright if you sometimes lose your temper, just as long as you make sure not to blow up like you did back at the airship yesterday."

Sable chuckled at that, remembering his chase for Jaune over something like puke on his leather jacket. "Only if you cut down on the pranks. We clear, Lilac?"

"Now, I can't promise that!" He mischievously snickered, covering his laughter.

' _Worth a shot…'_ The albino wolf Faunus just rolled his eyes with a grin. Lilac's really going to be a piece of work.

"I suppose what we're all trying to convey is…" Frey spoke with a wise, warm smile that spoke of his patience. "You're doing just fine as a leader, Sable. We're here to back you up from here on out."

Sable was amazed. These guys are willing to put themselves out for their leader, even if that leader happens to be a barking Faunus half the time. He didn't receive any disappointment from Frey, just understanding and patience. While Ragnar put it out there that his attitude was a pain, he ultimately spat facts that Sable didn't think of before.

And then there's Lilac. The guy who he gave more grief back in initiation and even after, smiling and saying that they were all good. The guy who butted into his business, and yet always seemed to be more approachable for everybody involved.

And he doesn't even bat an eye, instead just smiling like always in support.

Sable couldn't help but flash a dumb grin, as he relaxed and said. "Counting on ya, specs."

"It's Frey, but specs is alright." Frey corrected with a chuckle, before turning to Ragnar with a nod. " _Now,_ we can continue with your...board game"

"Hell yeah!" Ragnar cheered as he put his prosthetic fist in the air. "I've been waiting all day to try this shit out!"

"Oh, oh! I got some party tricks to show off too! Ever see me pull a rabbit out of my cape before!" Lilac's giddy prancing towards Ragnar conveyed his excitement.

With that, Sable looked on with a smirk as his team started discussing amongst themselves over something silly like party games. By now, he was actually glad he talked it over with his teammates.

He barely believed it would go this well, let alone end up making him feel better at all. Everybody can be wrong from time to time, he figured.

' _Guess she wasn't wrong after all.'_

Now this doesn't mean that Sable was completely sure whether he's a good leader or not, but at least he knows that he's trying...and so far it's working.

"Hey, pal!" Snapped out of his thoughts, Sable glanced at Ragnar as he held up two different board games. "Which one do you prefer? _Colonizers of Shade_ , or _Grumpy Grumpy Grimm_?"

"Heh, what kind of games are those?" He guffawed, marching to his team while Ragnar exclaimed in comic annoyance, Lilac pulled out a deck of cards, and Frey simply took a notebook to entertain himself.

And it wasn't going to be the last time they did this. Like Lilac said, this is just their first day of school and there is surely more to come.

If Sable's going to get stronger, then he figured it wouldn't hurt to do so with his entire team. After all, they got his back if he gets himself into trouble. They didn't give up on him.

They're a team after all, and he is their leader. It's too early to give up.

* * *

 _ **And that is where we are gonna leave things for right now!**_

 _ **I really appreciate anybody who managed to read through this titanic piece of writing with patience!**_

 _ **Now, this entire chapter was focused on Sable's insecurities regarding leadership as well as slowing down a bit for the character interactions. After all, these characters are in school so they should take some time to slow down and have some introspective thinking. This chapter just happened to be focused on Sable for now.**_

 _ **Now, if any of you were hoping for some of the other characters to have more character development, then don't worry they will soon have their episodes before canon comes back in the future chapters.**_

 _ **That said, I am going to take a break from this story for a moment to focus on another idea in my head. Either a Spawn X Akame Ga Kill story, or a Classroom of The Elite story with some inspiration from Danganronpa.**_

 _ **-V: Definitely check it out, it sounds neat from what I hear, and if I'm helping out then you know it's good.**_

 _ **Regardless, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter very much. It's been a pleasure to write this and give you something with quality!**_

 _ **Please be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts on the chapter!**_

 _ **This is the Maelstrom, and I hope to see you on the horizon!**_


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